FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: England Lioness Rachel Daly launches poignant T-shirt design inspired by her tattoos

The Aston Villa striker is part of the 23-women England squad currently waiting Down Under for the start of the FIFA Women's World Cup, hosted by New Zealand and Australia, and kicking off next week.

“It was an incredible start to the summer with winning the WSL Player of the Year and also the Golden Boot,” Rachel says. “I took some time off after the season to go on holiday and just completely switch off, which is something I have never really been able to do before, so that was amazing. But I'm the type of person that struggles to rest, so that was hard.”

Now 31, Rachel began playing football for the Killinghall Nomads JFC, a village club near Harrogate, turning out for the boys’ squad until she was 12 and a girls’ team was formed. She returned to Killinghall in March this year for the opening of a café named Nomads Daly Brew in her honour. Her mum, Louise, still lives in Harrogate. Her brother, Andy, and father, Martyn, also represented the club and used to practise football with her in the back garden. Martyn sadly died two years ago. “My family have always been really supportive – especially my Dad, he was one of the first people to help me when I was emotional, and he would snap me out of it and always say things to make it better,” Rachel says.

At Rossett School in Harrogate, she found encouragement from football coach Mike Sweetman. She joined the Leeds United Girls Centre for Excellence and took her GCSEs in Switzerland while part of the England U17s side at the Euros.

Rachel moved to the US for a sports scholarship, spending three years at St John’s University in New York City. “My coach at university, Ian Stone, helped shape me in a way that I learned to get everyone on board with me rather than against me,” she says.

She joined Houston Dash and was selected sixth overall in the National Women’s Soccer League College Draft in 2016, the same year that she made her Lionesses debut. She returned to the UK last year to play for Aston Villa.

“I don't manage to get back to Harrogate as much as I'd like to, but when I do go, I generally just see my family and friends,” she says. “There is a food truck called The Roast Inn and it's basically a roast dinner to go - that is my go-to place whenever I'm home.”

Inspired by her journey, Rachel has worked with fashion brand HERA to design a limited-edition unisex T-shirt that launches tomorrow. On the back is a striking vintage-style graphic reflecting four of her tattoos. There are lilies for her mother’s favourite flowers, a lion for obvious reasons, the words “Passion & Courage” representing her uncle, and a butterfly for her father.

She has been sporting super-cool looks on her Instagram (she has 332K followers) and says HERA suits her easy approach to fashion. “I love comfort, so matching sets, or pieces like the cargo pants which you can dress up or down, are great for me. Style is important to me, and I’ve learned different ways to dress over the years, but I like to be versatile and wear what I feel good in.

“I wear the HERA pieces all the time – whether it's at the weekends, chilling at home, or out for lunch.”

Rachel is also an ambassador for HERA and the first person to feature in its Meet The Waymakers campaign, spotlighting her ambition to promote the women’s game. Talking about her journey as a footballer, she says: “I was told, you can’t live off being a footballer. Whatever, I’ll prove you wrong.

“Football was largely deemed as a men’s game for a long time. Growing up, I had to work as well as having a job at training. I’d finish training and had to race home, get to bed and be in again the next morning and then train in the evening again.

“I want to inspire people, especially the next generation coming up. I want to be that role model they look up to.”

She is pleased to see brands wanting to team up with female players. “It’s great to see the brands building connections with the women's football players and acknowledging the incredible effort and journey they have been on. With brands partnering with female footballers, it gives the women's game increased visibility, which is amazing for other young girls starting their journey in football.

“We’re in a very privileged position right now in terms of exposure, payments etc, and the women’s game is now in such a better place, and it’s only going to get better for the next generation.

“We’ve had to go through the obstacles the female game has faced, to get to where we are now. The women that paved the way for my generation went to war for us, and they don’t get enough credit,” she says.

“Playing professional football is my dream, so I feel really lucky to be in this position and have the platform that I do.”

Rachel is in an optimistic mood, looking ahead to the World Cup, with England’s first match against Haiti on at 10.30am (GMT) next Saturday, July 22, in their group opener in Brisbane. Head coach Sarina Wiegman announced her squad back in May and England's World Cup kits have been on sale since the start of June. The tournament is set to be the biggest women's football championship yet.

“We always go in with the attitude that we can win,” she says. “We’re positive about our chances and will give it everything we have.”

• See: www.heraclothing.com

• The FIFA Women's World Cup takes place from July 20 to August 20 at venues across Australia and New Zealand.