Plumb joins Lightning from West Ham Academy ahead of the new season, Hannah is a talented ball playing centre half with a diverse portfolio of experience to her name. Last season she made 16 appearances for West Ham Academy and in recent seasons she has represented Lewes Women FC alongside a dual registration in the FAWNL South. This mixture of experience and talent will bolster the Lightning backline ahead of the 23-24 season campaign. Hannah was identified as a key recruitment target during this cycle, and Lightning are pleased to secure her signature ahead of the season, she is a player that aligns with our vision here at Loughborough and we are all very excited to see her pull on the Lightning shirt this season.
Alongside West Ham teammate Hannah, Collyer joins Lightning from West Ham Academy ahead of the new season, where she scored 4 goals and had 1 assist. Collyer is a talented midfielder with excellent feet, she can add goals and assists to the squad this season. Last season she made 18 appearances for West Ham Academy and alongside a dual registration in the FAWNL South. Jess is an established Wales u19 youth international with EURO qualifier experience, this move will see her join Wales u19 captain Lauren Purchase at Loughborough.
Charlie Baxter said of the signings, “Hannah and Jess are players that I have admired for a long time, and I am so happy we were able to bring them both here. Despite their young age, they bring with them a wealth of experience both domestically and internationally.”
When commenting on Hannah, Charlie said: “Hannah has everything you want from a ‘modern day’ centre half; quality distribution, aerial presence, great in 1v1 scenarios and reads the game well. However, the thing I am most impressed by with Hannah is her level of maturity and emotional intelligence.”
When speaking about Jess, Charlie added: “Jess has tremendous ability and is such an exciting offensive talent. I know she is highly regarded among her peers and I see why. She thinks the game extremely well and exploits space brilliantly with her movement. I am certain she will be one to watch out for this season.”
When asked what she was most looking forward to, Hannah said “I’m really looking forward to stepping up into women’s football, I will make the most of the opportunity here, facilities and coaching. I am also really looking forward to learning from the more experienced players in the squad, it’s a really talented group. I wanted to come and study at Loughborough whilst training and playing as much football, at the highest level possible. When I started to understand what the programme and direction was here and the unique opportunity it is, I knew I didn’t want to go anywhere else. The main goal this season will be to push for a promotion challenge together, we all want to be back in tier 3 football, but on a personal note I want to develop and work towards becoming the best player and person I can be.”
Jess said of her move “I’m really looking forward to a new challenge, being part of a new team and making the most of this opportunity and the facilities here. I wanted to join because it’s the best place to combine an excellent study option and hybrid football. The environment here is professional and supportive and I can work alongside good players and great coaches. I felt this was the best place for me to develop as a person and a player, looking at the squad I want to help the team win the league and challenge for promotion.”
Director of Football Rebecca Sawiuk added “During the first week of pre-season both Jess and Han have already shown real quality on and off pitch. We are delighted to secure their services; both of these players have come into the programme highly recommended by lots of people in the game. I really hope in the next few years we can become a destination for the best young players who want to study, develop, and play football. This is just the beginning.”
Both Hannah and Jess will join our hybrid fulltime training programme at Loughborough University in September, and we are excited to support her development as a footballer, student and person.
Welcome to the Lightning Family!