Rachel Daly

Rachel Daly is an English professional football player who currently plays for the England Lionesses as well as having a long career in the USA winning various individual and team honours with Houston Dash, a National Women’s Soccer League Team associated with Houston Dynamo.

Rachel started her footballing journey in the boy’s team at Killinghall Nomads until she turned 12 when they formed a girls’ team which she went on to play for. She stood out in both teams due to her unmatched talent and ability which got her noticed and offered her the opportunity to play at Leeds United’s Girls Centre of Excellence. As a massive Leeds United fan, she accepted and took the opportunity with both hands. After some time at Leeds, Rachel began playing internationally with England U17s later moving on to play for Lincoln Ladies. After a year, Rachel decided she wanted to further her education and get a new experience by moving to college in the USA where she set the school’s career records for both goals and points for St. John’s Red Storm. She became the first player to be selected for the NSCAA all-American First Team. Now, Daly continues to play in the USA where she is Houston Dash’s all-time top goal scorer and has received a variety of honours. 2018 saw Rachel named in the NWSL Team of the Month for March, May and July. Her success didn’t stop there as she was recognised by Houston Dash as the Most Valuable Player earning the Golden Boot at the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Alongside her successful career in the USA, Rachel has had extensive involvement with the England Lionesses. Daly has represented England from the youth level and has progressed all the way to the senior team. Her debut came in 2016 when she scored in a 7-0 victory over Serbia in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 qualifier. Daly featured again in 2018 as England topped their group and qualified for the 2019 World Cup. Rachel was also involved in England’s win of the 2019 SheBelieves Cup making two appearances. Her continual performances and success at the international level earnt her a spot in the tournament-winning England squad for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, playing as a defender alongside the talented Lucy Bronze under the astute management of Sarina Wiegman. Following their incredible success, Rachel and the Lionesses were awarded the Inspiration of the Year Award at the Pride Awards following their incredible performance at the Euros. In 2023, Rachel's talent earned her selection to play on the England squad for the 2023 Women's World Cup, playing as a forward. During her time playing as a forward, Rachel spent 539 minutes on the pitch in seven matches, impressively scoring one of the goals that resulted in England's 6-1 defeat of China.

Rachel Daly is a loyal leader at Houston Dash and an experienced player at the international level. She is an inspirational character who devotes her success to a pure love for the game and hopes to encourage others to get involved. Daly is available to book through Champions Speakers today!