At just 13 years old, King James I Academy student, Layla V is already making her mark in the world of professional football. Not only has she spent the last two seasons playing for Sunderland AFC Womens’ Academy Under 14s team, but she has also attended two England ‘invite-only’ camps for potential lionesses.

Layla started her footballing journey at the tender age of five, firstly attending Tiny Tots sessions before moving up to play with Bishop Auckland Juniors the following season. She spent two seasons playing in the boys’ team before moving on to Bishop Auckland Girls in 2018 at the age of eight years old. Here she excelled, breaking all previous goal scoring records set in the Girls Russel Foster Premier League. In 2018/19 season, Layla scored a staggering 94 goals for the under 9s, followed by 51 goals in 2019/20 for the under 10s, 56 goals in 2020/21 for the under 11s and 42 goals in 2021/22 for the under 12s.

Layla then signed for Sunderland Womens Academy Under 14s team, where she has spent the last two seasons playing against other elite academy teams and travelling to matches in Derby, Notts County, Bradford and Doncaster. After winning the Junior Premier League Northern Section this season, the team then went on to finish runners-up in the national play offs to West Ham United, where the final score was 2-3. In September, Layla will be moving up to the Under 16s team and playing her third season at Sunderland.

As a result of her footballing talent, Layla has already been spotted by England Scouts and has been attending England Talent Camps since mid-2023; these are strictly by invitation only and designed specifically for potential lionesses. The youngest England team are the Under 15s and it is Layla’s ambition to break into the squad when she is old enough next season.

David Longstaff, Deputy Headteacher at King James said, "Layla has done exceptionally well as a student with us. As well as being a talented young footballer, Layla is also a respectful and positive student in school, and has shown resilience and determination - characteristics we value highly. We are looking forward to seeing her achieve her dream of playing professionally."