For Portsmouth goalkeeper Hannah Haughton, this summer has been nothing short of transformative as she became the club’s first ever professional women’s player following their promotion to the Women’s Championship.
The 32-year-old has spent years balancing her footballing career with her full-time job as a P.E teacher. But for Haughton, the shift from the classroom to the training ground has been more than just a job change – it’s the culmination of a lifelong dream.
“12 months ago, we went from grassroots to semi-professional,” the goalkeeper said, speaking at a pre-season media event. “Fast forward another 12 months and we’re about to start our campaign in the Women’s Championship.
“In terms of a long-term plan, the club is trying to invest and get the team up, but it wasn’t meant to be for this season. When we got promoted, we weren’t sure whether we would [go full-time] or not because of the finances, and the men’s team had just been promoted as well. We found out the news earlier in the summer that we would be going full-time, which was a dream come true.
“If someone were to ask what my job is, I can say I’m a footballer. Obviously, you think about it [going full-time], but the reality of the finances and how much it costs, it’s not as simple as that. But, we’re really fortunate that the CEO and the owners are really invested in the women’s team, and we’re so lucky to have them in this club.”
Last season, the structure of promotion and relegation between the second and third tier in the women’s game underwent major reform. Previously, the winners of the FA Women’s National League North and South were required to contest a play-off final in a bid to secure the one and only promotion spot, meaning a team could win their respective league, and still not reap the benefits of moving up the pyramid.
The changes mean both winners are now able to make the step up, while two teams from the Championship are relegated. Last term, Pompey stormed to title glory in the southern division with 61 points from 22 games, dropping points on just two occasions. Elsewhere, an ambitious Newcastle United claimed victory in the northern section of the league.
The women’s success was part of a fantastic campaign for Portsmouth as a whole, as the men’s team also secured promotion to the second tier as champions of League One, putting an end to 12 years of exile from the top two divisions. Yet, the club’s ownership haven’t just made steps to ensure the men remain successful, but they’ve started laying the foundations to allow the women to compete at a professional level.
— Portsmouth Women (@PompeyWomen) April 27, 2024
Haughton, who has been at Pompey for six seasons, became the club’s first ever female professional player as she penned a two-year deal earlier this summer.
“It’s an honour, it really is,” the goalkeeper continued.
“The manager, Jay [Sadler], told me that he wanted me to be the first one he signed. I’m really grateful for all the opportunities this club has given me. To be able to say I was the first person ever in the club’s history on the women’s side to be fully professional is absolutely amazing.”
Prior to the team’s promotion, Haughton would split her daily routine between teaching and football. She would be at school all day, before driving straight to training from work three times a week, and would often return home as late as 10pm.
“It’s completely different with the amount of time I have in the evenings and the time I have to myself,” she reflected. “I have time to be able to do things.
“We finish training in the late afternoon and I get home in the evening thinking ‘what do I do now?’ It’s completely different, but it’s so much better because you’ve got time to do things and see people.”
Despite the positive mood around the club since their promotion, it’s fair to say they are under no illusions as to just how challenging life will be in the second tier. The Women’s Championship is growing in its competitiveness year on year, and this season will be no different.
Pompey’s fellow promotion winners, Newcastle, are among the favourites to challenge for the title after a summer of investment in their playing squad, having already operated a full-time model in the National League. London City Lionesses have also been injected with significant investment both on and off the pitch in recent months, and that’s not even considering Birmingham City, Sunderland, Southampton and Charlton Athletic, who were all in the hunt for promotion last term.
“I’ll be totally honest, if we stay up, brilliant,” Haughton admitted, when asked about ambitions for the upcoming season. “It’s a completely different level and we’ve never been here before.
“Do I think our team is good enough to do well in the league? Yeah I do. I have every faith in the players, the process, and how our coach wants us to play. I do feel like we can do well in this league.
“But, ultimately, you want to stay up. Now we’ve made it here, we want to stay up and find our feet this year. Then, maybe push on forwards. I think, realistically, targets would be mid-table. I think that is a good, achievable target for this season.”
For Haughton, this moment is not just a personal triumph, but a sign of Portsmouth’s growing ambitions as they look to work their way up the pyramid. Where Pompey is now could not be further from where they were a little over ten years ago, on the brink of liquidation and saved by fan ownership. Both the men’s and women’s sides have now entered a new, successful era.
“It means a lot,” the goalkeeper concluded. “Portsmouth is a community and family-based club. If you go back to when they went into administration, it was the fans who kept them up and paid the money to keep them [afloat].
“It’s very much about the fans, for the fans, and for the area. You can see that when you go to the men’s games, the women’s games, you can hear the fanbase and the support. They’re positive about the team and want them to do well.
“They feel part of the teams as well. It’s hard to describe. When you’ve been there for a while, you can feel it. If I walk around in Portsmouth now, people recognise me as the Pompey goalkeeper and captain. It’s amazing.”
READ THE LATEST WOMEN’S FOOTBALL NEWS, OPINION & ANALYSIS
