Katie Holtham
Katie Holtham | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 9, 1986 Nottingham, England |
| Occupation | Footballer |
| Years active | 2004–2015 (approximate) |
| Known for | Midfielder and defender for multiple English and Australian clubs; captain of several teams; England youth international |
Katie Ann Holtham (born 9 April 1986) is an English footballer whose most recent club was Australian W-League side Perth Glory, where she played as a midfielder. Rick Passmoor, her former coach at Leeds Carnegie, praised her as "a robust, athletic player with excellent box-to-box midfield capabilities."
Club career
Holtham's football journey began while attending West Bridgford School, where she demonstrated significant potential. She initially played for West Bridgford Colts alongside cricketer and Women's Ashes champion Jenny Gunn. Her development continued at Notts County’s Centre of Excellence, but age restrictions in mixed-gender teams forced her to stop. In response, her father established the West Bridgford Colts Girls team.
She advanced to Lincoln City competing in the FA Women's Premier League Northern Division, before moving to Bristol Rovers in 2004. After leading the 'Gas Girls' as captain, Holtham transferred to Charlton Athletic in 2006.
During her debut season with Charlton, the team fell 4–1 to Arsenal in the FA Women's Cup final, although Holtham scored an early goal before a record attendance of 24,529 spectators at Nottingham’s City Ground.
Following Charlton’s decision to disband their women's team after relegation, Holtham signed with Leeds Carnegie in 2007. She returned to Nottingham for the 2008 FA Women's Cup final but experienced another 4–1 defeat to Arsenal. Holtham contributed a goal in Leeds' 3–1 victory over Everton during the 2010 FA Women's Premier League Cup, securing the club’s inaugural major trophy.
Amid uncertainty at Leeds, she spent the 2010 summer season with USL W-League’s professional outfit Buffalo Flash, scoring three times across seven games as the team remained undefeated and clinched the league title.
In November 2010, Holtham joined Doncaster Rovers Belles ahead of their first season in the FA WSL. Named captain, she concluded the campaign playing as a central defender. By October 2011, she moved to Australian side Perth Glory in the W-League, where she earned Players' Player of the Year honors after nine appearances split between defense and midfield.
Holtham resumed captaincy at Doncaster for the 2012 FA WSL season but opted not to renew her contract. Early in 2013, she transferred to Chelsea Ladies. A year later, she signed for Notts County, reuniting with manager Rick Passmoor from her Leeds days.
In September 2014, Holtham joined Adelaide United for that year's W-League campaign.
International career
Holtham has represented England across multiple youth levels—U17, U19, U21, and U23—and captained the U19 squad during the 2005 European Championship finals held in Hungary. Although selected several times for the senior national team, she did not make an appearance in any matches.
Personal life
Holtham pursued sports science studies at Loughborough University’s National Player Development Centre. In 2014, she served as a physiotherapist for Nottingham Forest F.C.’s Under-21 and Academy squads.
External links
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Alumni of Loughborough University
- English female footballers
- Charlton Athletic W.F.C. players
- Notts County L.F.C. players
- Chelsea F.C. Women players
- Bristol Academy W.F.C. players
- Leeds United Women F.C. players
- Doncaster Rovers Belles L.F.C. players
- FA Women's National League competitors
- Women's Super League competitors
- People educated at West Bridgford School
- England women's under-23 international players
- Expatriate female soccer players in the United States
- Expatriate female soccer players in Australia
- USL W-League (1995–2015) participants
- Perth Glory FC (women) players
- Adelaide United FC (women) players
- Nottingham Forest F.C. non-playing staff
- Women's association football central defenders
- Women's association football midfielders
- FISU World University Games bronze medalists representing Great Britain
- Summer World University Games football medalists
- Footballers originating from Nottingham
- Medalists at the 2009 Summer Universiade
- 21st-century English sportswomen