We are delighted to confirm that both Abbey Hateley and Doris Greenwood have been retained by Loughborough Lightning football club for the 2023/24 Season.
Abbey and Doris move into their third season for the club and Head Coach Charlie Baxter made securing their services for the season a top priority. Abbey, an athletic and talented wide player, with 46 of appearances and Doris, a tenacious midfielder, become the first retained players announced this season. Doris made 21 of appearances and was named the County Cup player of the match in the final.
Charlie Baxter shared his excitement, “I’m delighted we have secured the services of both Doris and Abbey for the 23/24 season. Retaining two of our best talents is key to our continued progress and success as a club. As well as being fantastic talents, both are special people. Their character and personality will be huge for us this year. I’m excited to see their continued development in what I feel will be big season for both.”
After signing a new deal Abbey said, “I am looking forward to working with Charlie in a new league, I know the staff here can really support my development as a player, if I can be the best version of me, I can better support the team to win games. Loughborough has exceptional facilities, we use the high-performance gym, play our games in the stadium, recover in the pool or use the game ready. I've been at the club for 2 seasons, and I am excited to stay, we want to win as many games as we can this season, we want to be competitive in everything we do here. I want to help the team get promoted back to tier 3 and I think that’s achievable if we all work hard for it as a new squad”.
Speaking ahead of the season, Doris said, “this season I’m looking forward to a fresh start. I’m also excited to progress and develop as a player and help Lightning to reach its potential as a team. I've decided to stay because I understand the vision and we have ambition here to be better. The staff here have also really supported me as a player and person which has enabled me to improve as a footballer and I am sure this season I will be able to kick on again and take another step in the right direction. As a team we will be aiming to bounce back with a promotion challenge and as an individual I'd like to contribute towards more goals and assists. I’d love to become a key player for lightning and be recognised for the energy, passion, and hard work I put in”.
Both Abbey and Doris also study at Loughborough University and are a part of our hybrid training offer for talented female footballers. As part of our offer players can access full time strength and conditioning, psychology, nutrition, medical and lifestyle staff support.
Welcome back and best of luck for this coming season!