Ex-Sunderland and England star details Man City Women coaching role and Ian Wright link-up
The former Sunderland and England star also reflected on her work with the Foundation of Light
Former Sunderland and England star Steph Houghton returned to the Stadium of Light as the Black Cats faced Millwall - and detailed her current roles after retiring.
Durham-born Houghton’s football journey began at a young age at Sunderland, where she progressed through the club’s youth ranks before making her senior debut. The defender also had spells at Leeds Carnegie and Arsenal - where she won the FA Cup and the Super League before joining Manchester City.
Houghton became one of the first signings for Manchester City’s newly restructured women’s team in 2014, cementing her status as one of England’s finest players and most recognisable faces in women’s football, helping the club secure multiple domestic trophies, including the WSL title and the FA Cup.
On the international stage, Houghton earned her first senior England cap in 2007 and went on to represent her country over 100 times. She became captain in 2014, leading the Lionesses to several significant milestones, including a third-place finish at the 2015 World Cup and a semi-final run at the 2019 edition. Her leadership extended to Team GB, where she captained the squad at both the London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“Yeah, it's pretty surreal, to be honest,” Houghton told the club’s in-house media team after returning to the area for her role as an ambassador for the Foundation of Light. “I haven't been here for a long time, obviously been watching the boys and obviously following the girls as well as much as possible, but it's nice to be back home and hopefully the lads can get a win.
“I think for me, being an ambassador of the Foundation, it's so important to give something back to Sunderland and everything that they've done for me as a club. I obviously started my career here and my only ever dream was to play for Sunderland and to wear them red and white stripes, so as soon as I got asked to do it, it was kind of a no-brainer. For me, I think all the good things that the Foundation does for young children in Sunderland, to give them opportunities, to give them a different career path maybe and just to kind of look after them people through football, it's absolutely fantastic and some of the stuff that I really, really do believe in.
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“I think it's important that the football club, without the community and the people around Sunderland and the surrounding areas, we are nothing without them, and I think if we can join forces, we become stronger together, and it gives opportunity. But as well, you come here on a matchday, and there are so many people here always supporting the team and want them to do well, and that's so powerful about football is that you bring a lot of people together, and you give people different pathways in whatever they want to do”
Asked about her current roles, Houghton added: “A bit of everything to be honest, doing a little bit of coaching at Manchester City. I released my book before Christmas, which went really, really well, it was nice to do a signing in Sunderland but I'm basking in stuff like this today and a little podcast with Ian Wright, so a lot of stuff going on but really, really good.”
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