Lionesses captain Millie Bright to be made freewoman of Derbyshire

England captain Millie Bright is set to be given the freedom of her home county in honour of her exploits for the Lionesses.

Bright, who is from Killamarsh, Derbyshire, led her side to the final of the Women's World Cup this summer, narrowly missing out on the top accolade after losing 1-0 to Spain.

Following on from the side's success, Derbyshire County Council has announced Bright will be made honorary freewoman of the county.

Council leader Barry Lewis said the move “is just one small thing we can do to show her how much we appreciate” the Lionesses’ recent success.

The 30-year-old grew up in the county and began her football career with her local side, Killamarsh Dynamos, at the age of nine.

She previously told ITV Sport she's "lucky" to have made it to the top of women's football after battling several illnesses in childhood.

Bright was eight days old when she developed pneumonia, then croup, and now suffers with asthma.

Despite these setbacks, she has been a key player in the women's footballing world, playing for Doncaster Rovers Belles and Chelsea before being made captain of the England side this summer, following Leah Williamson’s injury.

Mr Lewis said: “Following the extraordinary success of the England team at the World Cup, we are proposing that Derbyshire’s own Millie Bright be put forward to become an Honorary Freewoman of Derbyshire.

“The whole team are all amazing ambassadors for women in sport and I felt so proud to know that Millie, the captain, is from Derbyshire.

“I’m sure that all my fellow councillors will agree that putting Millie forward to become an Honorary Freewoman is just one small thing we can do to show her how much we appreciate all the team have done recently.”

The council said that Bright’s nomination would be discussed in principle by councillors at a meeting on 13 September.

If the move is agreed, the title would be conferred at a specially convened meeting which is required by law, the date of which is still to be determined.

It was also announced earlier this week that Bright had been nominated for the prestigious Ballon D'or Award.

She is shortlisted alongside three Lioness teammates, including Harrogate-born Rachel Daly, goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Georgia Stanway.

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