Sunday will mark a call-up for Aston Villa Women's Soffia Kelly in a senior team competition as a keeper for Wales. The Welsh social media account shared this update on Saturday, before the side's matchup against England for the third match during group play of this year's Euro tournament.
This was a needed move for Wales, following the injury to Poppy Soper. Safia Middleton-Patel starred during the last match against France. Olivia Clark was the opening keeper for Wales during the fixture against the Netherlands.
Now slated to be on the bench against the Lionesses, Kelly will have to stay ready in the event of Rhian Wilkinson calling on her to fill in the GK role.
Only 18, Kelly is someone who has a tremendous future ahead of her and will likely be able to secure the No. 1 position for her country's side within short order.
While that will be a discussion for another day, Kell's inclusion following her work with Wales in the preparation for Euro 2025 shows how talented and how much potential she has.
Incredible opportunity for Aston Villa Women's GK
This is something that tends to come up with increased regularity for Kelly. Her play with the younger Villa sides has seen her be a part of the senior Villa team as well. For every squad, having dependable options in the event of something unforeseen happening to the starting keeper is absolutely critical.
Already being looked at as a reliable option shows how skilled Kelly already is and what many are excited about regarding her future place between the posts.
For club and country, Kelly can be depended on, and either manager would feel more than comfortable in the event of the youngster needing to take the pitch and come up with a couple of big, key saves. This match against England, being a part of the pre-game activities, will be another invaluable part of the young keeper's career.