The Manchester City and England footballer wanders into a padel club in Manchester on a sunny Saturday afternoon to little fanfare.
She’s greeted at the door by the owner, but beyond that, people are too preoccupied with the sweaty battles inside their glass cages to pay much attention to what’s going on outside – or to the world-class player who has just walked in. And this is the way Lauren Hemp likes it.
‘I do get nervous speaking,’ Hemp tells Mail Sport. ‘On the pitch is where I feel most comfortable. ‘Off it, I’m quieter, more reserved. I get on with everyone, but I don’t take centre stage. I’m not one to put myself out there. But then when I’m on the pitch, something just changes. A spark ignites in me.’
The women’s game has grown at a breakneck pace, and many are still growing accustomed to the intense scrutiny that comes with being an England player.
At just 24, Hemp is a European champion and World Cup finalist. She’s the youngest player to reach 50 goals in the Women’s Super League, has won four consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards – more than anyone, male or female – and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or last year. Add an FA Cup and League Cup with City for good measure.
England’s Euros defence begins on Saturday against France and Hemp is vital to the Lionesses’ hopes of success in Switzerland. After playing every game of Euro 2022, her first major tournament – and whipping in the corner that led to Chloe Kelly’s winner in the final – her star has been rising.
Lauren Hemp is understated – but is also one of the best players in England
She meets Mail Sport at a padel club in Manchester, though as she recovered from injury she had to take it easy on the court
Hemp won the 2022 Euros with England and was also part of the side that reached the 2023 World Cup final
Just 5ft 5in, she’s one of the game’s quickest players. When Mail Sport asked the Lionesses which team-mate leaves the rest in their wake, the response was unanimous: ‘Hempo’.
Her directness is refreshing at Manchester City, where the team’s possession-heavy style can sometimes test the patience of fans. A left-footed winger with extraordinary ball-carrying ability, Hemp never shies away from taking on defenders – and whenever she gets on the ball, seats start to bang.
Hemp topped the WSL assists for the second year in a row this season – incredible given she spent half of it on the bench, playing just 10 of the 22 league games.
And when she’s not setting up her England or City team-mates, Hemp is scoring herself – her opener in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against Australia was one of the tournament’s defining moments.
Hemp says: ‘I feel like whenever I get accolades like PFA Young Player of the Year, one thing I haven’t done – which I wish I maybe did do – was celebrate. I’ve always thought, “Nice one, right, on to the next”. I’ve always thought about the thing after.’
When we meet at the padel club, Hemp arrives in jeans. Having recently returned from injury, she wisely decides to sit this one out. Still, padel has become a part of her life, and just talking about it stirs her natural competitiveness.
‘There’s a court near where I live and me and my girlfriend (former Liverpool player Ashley Hodson) tried it one day,’ she says, grinning. ‘Turns out I was actually quite good. I let her be on my team and we took two other players on.
‘I used to like tennis as well. I think I’m one of those annoying kids that was good at every sport. But it’s nice to get together and do something other than football. I play a lot with my City team-mates.’
Hemp admits she probably annoys her Manchester City team-mates with her ability to pick up padel from scratch
‘Hempo’ is lightning quick and all of her team-mates name her as the fastest player in the England squad
Hemp will play in her third major tournament for the Lionesses, having scored 18 goals in 64 caps for her country
Hemp grew up in Norfolk, and it was only because her dad used to take her to Norwich City to watch older sister Amy – a promising youth footballer whose career was cut short by knee injuries – that she ended up giving football a try, back in 2008.
‘I wasn’t really interested in playing football. I’d be on the sidelines, not even watching,’ she says. ‘But when I was around seven, my dad took me to a trial, and I just joined in with my sister. Turned out I was actually pretty decent.
‘As a kid it was always cricket in the summer, football in the winter. But as I got older, football became more of a full-time thing. When I was 15, Norwich City’s Girls Centre of Excellence shut down, and I had to think seriously about my future and how to get the best out of myself.
‘There weren’t any teams around me where I was going to be able to keep playing football, so I took the decision to join Bristol City, but I was really sad to stop playing cricket. I’d even started going to England camps – little weekend things – for cricket as well.’
After two seasons in Bristol – where she was named PFA Young Player of the Year in her debut WSL campaign – Hemp moved to Manchester City in 2018, and the focus has remained firmly on football ever since. Yet a knee injury meant she almost didn’t make it to the Euros this summer.
‘I tore my meniscus last November,’ recalls Hemp. ‘I had a scan, and was told I was going to be out for two to three months. I got it repaired, I was feeling good. And then it was getting a bit irritable. I was coming up to being ready to play.
‘I had a scan and was told I had to get a re-surgery. I ended up being out for a lot longer than I thought it would be – about six months in total. When you’re on the way back and you’re thinking that you’re nearly there – that was tough.’
Still, she kept her sights on this summer, as England prepare for a difficult group stage: after today’s opener against France, they take on 2017 winners the Netherlands and Euros debutants Wales.
It was Hemp’s corner that found its way to Chloe Kelly (right) to stab home the winning goal in the 2022 Euros final at Wembley
And Hemp put England 1-0 up on their way to beating hosts Australia in the 2023 World Cup semi-final
Hemp came through the Norwich City youth system before joining Bristol City
Hemp tells Mail Sport she would ‘run through a brick wall’ for her team
‘Of course, my priority was always with City, but long term I was thinking about this summer – and that was a real driver for me,’ she says. ‘And then to finally get the call from Sarina to say that I was going to the Euros, it was a massive relief. I was so happy and I was quick to call my parents and tell them, because it means so much to me to play for England.’
So, one final question: how does Hemp want to be remembered?
‘The thing that I pride myself in is doing anything for the team, and I want people to think that no matter what, I’d run through a brick wall for my team,’ she says. ‘I’d love to go down as one of the best wingers in the world.’
At just 24, that feels well within reach. But first, a date with France, where Hemp can get back to doing what she does best – letting her football do the talking.
