Goalkeepers

Karen Bardsley

Club Manchester City Age 32

Born in Santa Monica, California and, in many ways, quintessentially ‘All‑American’, the 5ft 11in keeper opted to play for England after feeling the pull of family roots in Stockport. An indie rock fan currently “obsessed” with the band Glass Animals, she majored in graphic design at California State University before playing professionally in the United States and Sweden, then joining Lincoln Ladies in 2013. A year later England’s No1 became an integral part of the Manchester City revolution.

Siobhan Chamberlain

Club Liverpool Age 33

A childhood gymnastics star, the London-born Loughborough University sports science graduate holds an MA in nutrition and has worked as a part‑time college lecturer. A career which has taken her to Canada’s Vancouver Whitecaps, Chelsea, Fulham, Bristol Academy and Arsenal has also embraced three World Cups and two European Championships. Before marrying two years ago, she delegated all wedding planning to her future husband in order to concentrate on Canada 2015.

Carly Telford

Club Notts County Age 29

At 5ft 7in Telford is small for a goalkeeper but extremely talented. Born in Jesmond, a suburb of Newcastle‑upon-Tyne, she played for Sunderland, Leeds and Chelsea as well as the Australian side Perth Glory before joining Notts County. But for such strong competition from Bardsley and Chamberlain she would have won more caps. Currently on a media studies course.

Siobhan Chamberlain, who holds an MA in nutrition, has played in three World Cups and two European Championships. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Fifa via Getty Images

Defenders

Laura Bassett

Club Notts County Age 33

A future manager in the making, this centre-half is also comfortable in central midfield and has already obtained her Uefa B licence. It seemed particularly harsh that a defender whose middle name might be ‘reliability’ scored the own goal which led to England’s narrow defeat in their World Cup semi-final against Japan in Canada 2015. A Nuneaton-born Aston Villa fan, she joined Notts County – currently facing a winding up order – following stints with, among others, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Lucy Bronze

Club Manchester City Age 25

After starring for England as Mark Sampson’s side finished third in Canada 2015, this most versatile defender’s career trajectory has been resolutely upwards. Born in Berwick-upon-Tweed she is half‑Portugese and grew up amid the remoteness of north Northumberland, living for a time on Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, which is connected to the mainland via a tidal causeway. Formerly with Sunderland, Everton and Liverpool, Bronze also enjoyed a stint in the US after winning a sports scholarship at the University of North Carolina.

Steph Houghton

Club Manchester City Age 28

Very much the “face of the female game”, the England and Manchester City captain is an MBE and the first woman to have appeared on the cover of Shoot magazine. Her strong Wearside accent reflects the County Durham roots from which her career began with Sunderland. Now established at centre-half Houghton is capable of playing across the backline and even in midfield. Secret vices include watching Made in Chelsea and Geordie Shore.

Alex Scott

Club Arsenal Age 32

The right-back, MBE and winner of the 2016 Bear Grylls ITV show Mission Survive is an accomplished newspaper columnist who adores writing and may well embark on a full-time media career after retirement. The London-born defender of Irish-Jamaican descent has long since passed the 100-cap barrier for England and is back at Arsenal after interludes with Birmingham and across the Atlantic at Boston Breakers. She co-founded the Alex Scott Academy for young female footballers in Kingston, Surrey.

Casey Stoney

Club Liverpool Age 34

Another MBE – and member of the 100-plus caps brigade – Stoney is one of the game’s finest defenders. The first female member of the PFA’s management committee, she announced publicly some years ago that she was gay and, later that year, her partner, Megan Harris, gave birth to their twins. Previously with Charlton, Chelsea, Lincoln and Arsenal she preceded Houghton as England captain and performed the same role for the Great Britain football team in the 2012 Olympics.

Demi Stokes

Club Manchester City Age 25

Another Sunderland Ladies graduate turned City title winner, the left‑back from South Shields subsequently crossed the Atlantic, spending four years at the University of South Florida on a sports scholarship, and also had a stint in Canada with Vancouver Whitecaps. A serious fan of Reggae music, she initially modelled her game on that of the former England left-sider Rachel Yankey. Vices include Chinese take-aways – and chips. This will be her first major tournament.

Jo Potter

Club Notts County Age 32

The former left-winger turned creative playmaker has morphed into a left-sided defender – although Potter can still fill a midfield role. An excellent crosser, blessed with an eye for goal, she originates from Mansfield and spent much of her career with Birmingham. Off the pitch Potter has served as a BBC football pundit, FA skills coach and employee in her team-mate Jade Moore’s sports therapy business.

Alex Greenwood

Club Liverpool Age 23

A left-back who can also play at centre-half, Greenwood is a set-piece specialist who grew up on Merseyside supporting Liverpool and idolising Jamie Carragher. Began her career at Everton but is now delighted to be in the red half of the city following a stint with Notts County. The ‘baby’ of Sampson’s squad in Canada 2015, she thrived, sharing left-back duties with the experienced Claire Rafferty.

Alex Greenwood is a set-piece specialist who plays for Liverpool, and grew up on Merseyside. Photograph: Ben Queenborough/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

Midfielders

Isobel Christiansen

Club Manchester City Age 25

A Birmingham University graduate who formerly played for Everton and Birmingham, “Izzy” is a midfield mainstay – and regular goal-scorer – also capable of playing up front. The PFA player of the year for 2015-16 did not break into Mark Sampson’s squad until after Canada 2015 but has since made up for lost time and is now preparing for her first major tournament.

Jordan Nobbs, the women’s player of the year, is expected to exert a key influence for England in the Netherlands. Photograph: Matt Lewis/The FA via Getty Images

Jade Moore

Club Notts County Age 26

Moore’s career seemed under threat when a routine screening revealed she had two holes in her heart but she was soon back playing after corrective surgery. The Worksop-born former Lincoln, Leeds and Birmingham midfielder won an FA scholarship to Loughborough University as a teenager and has subsequently combined football with establishing her own sports therapy business and studying at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Jordan Nobbs

Club Arsenal Age 24

The current women’s player of the year is expected to exert a key influence in the Netherlands. Nobbs is the daughter of the former Hartlepool United defender Keith Nobbs and a combative goalscoring central midfielder. She was born and brought up in Stockton-on-Tees and played for Sunderland before being poached by Arsenal.

Jill Scott

Club Manchester City Age 30

A distinguished member of the 100-caps-plus club, the 5ft 11in box-to-box midfielder is one of Sampson’s most technically accomplished individuals. Able to read the game superbly and adept at altering attacking angles, the Wearside-born former Sunderland midfielder was a top distance runner with Sunderland Harriers before concentrating on football.

Fara Williams

Club Arsenal Age 33

England’s most-capped player – on more than 150 – Williams is a goalscoring midfielder and set-piece specialist. One of the best players the country has produced, and formerly with Chelsea, Charlton, Everton and Liverpool, Williams had a difficult upbringing and was homeless for six years early in her career. Unbeknown to her team‑mates, she combined living rough with staying in hostels and now devotes considerable amounts of her spare time to volunteering for charities helping the homeless. An FA skills coach, she is married to her former Everton team‑mate Amy Kane.

Millie Bright

Club Chelsea Age 23

The Chesterfield-born former Doncaster Belles player can play in midfield or defence but is expected to add her strength and physicality in the former department in the Netherlands after making the squad courtesy of the equivalent of a late dash into the box. Unwinds by watching DVDS of Diego Maradona in action. This will be her first major tournament.

Forwards

Karen Carney

Club Chelsea Age 29

With more than 100 caps, Carney, an MBE, is one of the world’s best players and arguably Sampson’s most technically accomplished individual and improvisational creator. Originally from Solihull, she has arrived at Chelsea via Loughborough University, Arsenal, Birmingham and Chicago Red Stars. A winger or, sometimes, ‘Trequartista’ Carney has spoken openly of the sometimes severe depression which disrupted her past and, aiming to help others, has trained as a therapist in the branch of psychology known as “Brain-spotting”.

Toni Duggan

Club Manchester City Age 25

A childhood Morris dancer turned pacy forward or winger with an impressive goals:games ratio, the Liverpool-born former Everton forward is unafraid to court controversy. Famously, and typically, surprised England team-mates by hiding in the overhead luggage lockers as England flew across Canada during the 2015 World Cup. Entertaining and funny, Duggan is one of Sampson’s most popular players and boasts a legion of Twitter followers. The player most likely to unnerve media managers.

Jodie Taylor

Club Arsenal Age 30

England’s most-travelled player, the Merseysider studied at Oregon University in the US before variously pulling her shooting boots on in Oregon, Boston, Ottawa, Sydney, Melbourne, different Swedish locations and Portland before joining Arsenal. Her wonderful change of pace and finishing ability petrify opponents and explain why Mark Sampson rightly took Taylor to Canada 2015 when she was still recovering from a knee injury.

Fran Kirby

Club Chelsea Age 23

A superlatively skilful striker described as “our Messi” by Mark Sampson during Canada 2015 is rumoured to have cost a record fee of up to £60,000 after swapping Reading for Chelsea two years ago. Began scoring freely after returning to the game in 2014 following a four-year absence during which Kirby suffered from severe clinical depression, sparked by her mother’s death.

Nikita Parris

Club Manchester City (on loan from Everton) Age 23

A younger sister of the former leading female boxer Natasha Jonas – the first British woman to box at an Olympics – Parris grew up in Toxteth, Merseyside. A prolific scorer for England’s junior teams, her elevation to the senior squad for her first major senior tournament represents the fulfilment of a “lifelong ambition”.

Ellen White

Club Birmingham Age 27

A tall, strong striker, White’s career was threatened when she spent more than a year sidelined by a serious knee injury but she returned to score freely again. Originally from Buckinghamshire – where she is now a freewoman of Aylesbury under her married name Ellen Convery – she has also played for Chelsea, Leeds, Arsenal and Notts County. Nicknamed “Ellsbells”.