From Cornwall to Brisbane - Brighton striker ready to impress at 2023 Women's World Cup

The 20-year-old was named in Sarina Wiegman’s 23-women squad which has travelled to Australia and New Zealand for the biggest-ever tournament in the history of women’s football.

Robinson’s call up is a well-deserved one, having exploded onto the scene this season with four goals and six assists for the Seagulls in all competitions.

The electric winger first started playing football whilst growing up in Cornwall, playing in local boy’s teams due to the lack of opportunities.

She told the official England Women’s website: "A lot of the other girls were at big clubs growing up and I was still playing with boys and would then come away to England youth camps. So it was different but I think it added a different side to my game, hopefully.”

"Because I was living in Cornwall, it was quite hard to find a good level for girls’ football locally, so I also went to Cornwall Girls’ Advance Coaching Centre to play for the county from around the ages of ten to 12 and then I went to Devon Advance Coaching Centre from 13 to 16.”

At 16-years-old, Katie’s talent was spotted at South West Regional camps by Premier League legend Matt Le Tisser, who recommended her to a number of major clubs. Katie then moved to Bristol to live with a host family, so she could follow her dream of becoming a footballer.

She soon signed for Bristol City and made her first- team debut in October 2018, coming on as an 83rd minute sub in a 1-0 win against Birmingham City. A senior goal soon followed, in a 5-2 thrashing of Aston Villa in the League Cup.

After two-seasons in the South West – and four goals in 29 appearances – Katie turned down the chance to stay at the Robins and instead moved closer to the coast, when she signed her first professional deal with Brighton in the summer of 2020.

The ecstasy of that landmark moment was soon met with a crashing low. In September of that year, Katie suffered a major cruciate ligament injury which restricted her to just nine first-team appearances in her first two seasons in Sussex.

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

How you can watch the Premier League Summer Series

'An eager player with a lot of hunger' - Brighton announce fourth signing of the summer

But the winger could not be stopped and her performances for Brighton have helped kept them in the WSL this season and reach the semi-final of the FA Cup.

Her performances have been recognised by Wiegmann and the national team coaching staff. In November 2022, Katie won her first senior cap for the Lionesses against Norway in a friendly after impressing for the under-23s and has gone on to be named in every squad since.

She will join a young but potent forward line in the land down under, alongside Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo, as the team attempt to repeat the scenes of last summer, when they memorably beat Germany 2-1 at Wembley to win the Euros.

England kick off their World Cup campaign against Hati on Saturday (July 22) and also face Denmark and China in Group D.

Katie has experience of playing tournament football before, having represented England at the under-17’s World Cup and had a great record at youth level, scoring eight goals in eleven games.