Watford FC are delighted to announce the signing of goalkeeper Sophie Harris ahead of the 2020/21 season.
The 25-year-old joins the Golden Girls from Women’s Super League side Brighton and Hove Albion, having spent last season on loan at Lewes in the FA Women’s Championship.
Harris began her career as a youth player at Arsenal, where she was part of the squad that won the FA WSL and FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup. The ‘keeper also featured in Champions League squads and has represented England at U20 level.
“It’s a great feeling, I’m very excited to get in and meet all the girls and staff,” the new signing told watfordfc.com. “Obviously through this pandemic I’ve been working hard to keep fit so it will be nice to get back playing football again.”
The goalkeeper has played at the top level of domestic football and has worked alongside some of the most distinguished coaches in women’s football. She will bring her valuable knowledge of the game to the Golden Girls for the upcoming season.
“I will look to bring my experience to the team,” she said. “Looking back at last season you can tell the team is doing well so I would like to bring a little bit more to that, and some clean sheets! I think we can look to really kick on and hopefully we can finish what was started last season.
“I hope my experience from professional football will help the squad, both on and off the pitch. I’d like to think I’m a leader and professional, so I want to bring that to the team and be a positive influence.”
Harris was impressed with the Golden Girls’ 2019/20 campaign and is excited to join up with her new teammates as they prepare for the new season. The goalkeeper joins a list of many current Watford players who have played in higher divisions and hopes the quality in the squad can help the team progress.
“We’ve got a great squad already and that was shown by how well they did last year. You can see a lot of the players can go on and play at a higher level so it goes to show they enjoy playing for Watford and it’s a great environment to be in. I’m really excited to get started and really push on as a team and have a great season,” she said.
Head Coach Clinton Lancaster expressed his excitement at bringing in the new signing as he looks to bolster his squad ahead of the next campaign.
“I am delighted to bring Sophie in, it is a huge signing for us and I’m really excited to work with her,” said Lancaster. “The fans can expect to see a confident goalkeeper who leads from the back and is capable of making some exceptional saves. Sophie will hopefully help us keep clean sheets along the way, which could prove vital at the end of the season.”
