London university student skips her graduation ceremony to train for the Fifa Women’s World Cup

International | Hannah Baptiste, of Streatham, has played for several London clubs and has represented England
Handout via Anna Davis

A London university student has been forced to miss her graduation ceremony - because she is representing Guyana in their campaign to reach the football world cup.

Hannah Baptiste, from Streatham, flew out to the South American country this week to take part in a training camp after national team coaches were impressed by footage of her playing football.

The 25-year-old excelled at the camp and has now been selected for three world cup qualifiers this month. If these are a success, she could be playing in the Fifa Women's World Cup 2018 in France next summer.

Ms Baptiste’s grandparents are from Guyana which means she can be selected to represent the country.

Her graduation from Richmond, the American International University in London, is due to take place tomorrow, after she completed a degree in marketing communications and public relations at the £9,250-a-year private institution. But she will miss the ceremony for the chance to reach the world cup. Allison Cole-Stutz, Dean of Students at Richmond, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for Hannah to have been selected for trials by the Guyana national football team, we’re all incredibly proud of her [at the university] and wish her every success.”

Ms Baptiste has been playing football since she was four, and at the age of 16 represented England in a four nations tournament in Northern Ireland.

During her time at Richmond, based in Kensington, she played for AFC Wimbledon, and her previous clubs include Charlton Athletic and Fulham FC. She supports Crystal Palace and her favourite players are Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. Ms Baptiste originally won a scholarship to play football and study Psychology at St Andrews University in North Carolina in the United States. But she missed her family in London, so transferred her credits to Richmond and began her marketing degree in 2016.

Before she flew to Guyana, Ms Baptiste said the national team coaches had contacted her after seeing a video of her playing. She added: “I haven’t played internationally since I was 16 because I’ve been busy with my studies. But my grandparents are from Guyana so I can qualify for their team.”

A spokeswoman for Richmond university said there should be more women in football. It has therefore set up a women’s team in the Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy (RIASA), which offers students the chance to earn a UK and US dual accredited degree in International Sports Management while playing in a professional academy in either London or Leeds.

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