Katie Bewick follows in big footsteps after receiving England call-up

Teenager Katie Bewick appears to be well on her way to following in the footsteps of women’s football stars from the Foundation of Light after her call up to England U15s.

Sunderland AFC’s official charity has a long history of producing top talent, from Jill Scott and Steph Houghton to Emily Cassap – who is now earning senior minutes Sunderland AFC Women.

Now 14-year-old Katie has been catching the eye of her national team after several years working with the Foundation’s high-performance groups.

Katie’s talent was clear from the age of eight when she first linked up with the Player Development Centres where she trained in groups which were predominantly boys.

After progressing through the pathway into the Player Performance Centre, the young star was invited into the Regional Talent Club (now Women's Academy) at U10s.

Katie has continued to show impressive drive and an appetite to constantly improve, which has resulted in her representing older age groups – regularly with the U16s as well as exposure to the U21s.

She is now in her sixth season with Foundation of Light’s high-performance groups and has also been invited into the England player pathway, often attending regional and national talent hubs and training camps.

Katie has now taken her next step into international football, receiving a call up for England U15s for their upcoming fixtures against Turkey, Iceland, and Germany.

Katie is just the latest example of somebody who has followed the pathway from the start, working through age groups and programmes from the PDC to the Women's Academy and everything in between.

On Katie’s development, Football in the Community Coordinator Jack Gray said: "Katie is a shining example of the Foundation of Light Female Player Pathway, showing that hard work and dedication over a prolonged period can lead to exciting opportunities.

“Katie's drive to improve and willingness to learn will stand her in good stead over the next few years and we look forward to supporting her development further within the Academy set-up.”

Katie's mother, Kathryn added: "Katie has been supported consistently through her journey at the Foundation of Light, whether it be through the PDCs and training with fantastic coaches, to when she signed for the Academy.

“Katie has grown as a player and as a person as the coaches support in more than just football. The most impressive part of the set-up is the coaches’ personal approach to players and how they look to support everyone as an individual. We can't thank the pathway enough for helping Katie on her journey to England camps.”