Stanway Walsh Toone England 2023Getty Images

Inside the Blackburn Rovers talent factory that helped Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone become Lionesses

When England’s Lionesses lined up in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, they did so with a midfield trio that had all come through at the same club. Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone had all been team-mates at Manchester City, yes, but before moving to one of the country’s powerhouses, all three spent a significant period of their youth with Blackburn Rovers.

Despite playing in the third tier of women’s football throughout the 2010s, Blackburn produced a number of players that caught the eye of England’s youth set-up, with Walsh, Stanway and Toone winning their first caps for the Young Lionesses while at the club.

“It was amazing. I made some best friends for life there. It's where I really enjoyed playing football and probably where I found my love for it,” Walsh said of Rovers earlier this summer, speaking on Lionesses Live during that historic World Cup.

“[Blackburn] instilled the right way for me to play football, getting the ball down, passing and I think it's kind of got me to where I am now, learning that from such a young age, so I appreciate it. I wouldn't be sat here playing for Barcelona and England if it wasn't for you lot at the academy.”

That emphasis on developing young talent hasn’t gone away in the years since those big names moved on, either. Five players in Blackburn’s current first-team squad have come through the club’s youth system and they’ve all played their part in a fast start to the new Women’s Championship season, Rovers moving up to the second tier back in 2019.

After winning four of their opening five games of the season, Blackburn’s productive youth system is not only at the heart of England’s recent successes, it’s also a big reason why the club has entered the conversation for promotion to the Women’s Super League. So how do they continue to produce talent after talent?

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