Leading from the Back

SHORTLISTED FOR *AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR* AT THE CHARLES TYRWHITT SPORTS BOOK AWARDS FOREWORD BY FELLOW LIONESS JILL SCOTT *One of Waterstones‘ Best Sport Books of the Year 2024* ‘Steph is truly one of the all-time greats of the women‘s game‘ Jill Scott ‘Documents [Steph‘s] crucial role in helping to change perceptions of women‘s football‘ The Guardian The inspiring memoir of one of football‘s greatest players - Steph Houghton - in which she recounts the highs and lows of making it to the top of her game as England Captain, star of the London Olympics, and Man City stalwart, via Sunderland, Leeds and Arsenal. With 121 caps for the Lionesses, Steph has been at the heart of the women‘s football revolution, inspiring girls and young women around the world but in her own understated way. Leading from the Back is Steph‘s incredibly honest account of what it takes to make it to the pinnacle of women‘s football when the odds are well and truly stacked against you. Inside, she shares her dreams of becoming professional as a young girl in Sunderland and how reaching that status has been a long and often difficult path, both on and off the pitch, especially her husband Stephen Darby‘s devastating Motor Neurone Disease (MND) diagnosis. In between, she recounts the amazing highs of playing for her country, making history at the Olympics, lifting cups for her team, and the awe-inspiring people she has encountered along the way. This is not only Steph‘s personal story, but also the story of women‘s football in England and internationally. Steph is credited as being one of the greatest influences in growing the women‘s game to the biggest it has ever been. A remarkable journey of unwavering determination that reveals the grit needed to stay true to yourself, and what it really takes to be a leader; this is the full and incredible story of a sports pioneer, ‘Super Steph‘.