RIPON — One of Ripon Grammar School’s brightest sporting talents has secured a dream move to Barclays Women’s Super League giants Manchester City.
Sixteen-year-old Lottie Day has signed a two-year deal with Manchester City Women’s Under-21 side. The move marks a remarkable rise for the rising star, who has rapidly established herself as one of the country’s most promising young defensive prospects.
The highly anticipated signing follows an impressive two-year stint with Sheffield United Women. During her time in South Yorkshire, Day featured for both the first team and Under-21 sides, captained the club’s Under-16s, and earned multiple international call-ups for England.
Navigating Elite Sport and Education
Day, who has just completed her GCSEs at Ripon Grammar School, relocated to Manchester this week. To balance her intensive football development with her academic future, she will live with a local host family while embarking on her A-Level studies.
Her family expressed immense gratitude to Ripon Grammar School for accommodating the unique demands of elite youth sports.
“Thanks to Ripon Grammar School and their flexibility and accommodation around Lottie’s ever-changing schedule, especially in her GCSE year,” said her father, Kevin Day.
He also paid tribute to her former club for nurturing her raw talent: “We can’t thank everyone at Sheffield United enough—the coaching team, the staff, and especially academy manager James Morley for his hard work on and off the pitch.”
The International Stage
While a long-held ambition of Day’s is to play professionally in the top tier of the women’s game, her family remains grounded about the intense competition ahead.
“It’s a very long football ladder,” Kevin noted, “but hopefully a step nearer.”
Day’s trajectory suggests she is well-equipped for the climb. Earlier this year, she marked her England Under-16 debut by capturing the Player of the Match award in a 2-1 victory over Denmark—impressing national selectors by seamlessly slotting into an unfamiliar right-back role.
She followed up the performance by representing the Lionesses at the prestigious Mondial Montaigu tournament in France, testing herself against elite international sides including Japan, France, Portugal, and Sweden, before earning a swift promotion to the England Under-17 squad.
