TEENAGE football star Sophie Hawkins has her sights set on the Olympics.

And the Skipton Girls' High School pupil has moved a step nearer her goal after being selected for Leeds United's under 15 team.

"She has always wanted to go to the Olympics and she might achieve that goal through football," said proud mum Sarah Eyles.

Fourteen-year-old Sophie will play for Leeds United for a year and managers will then assess her skills to see whether she is kept on.

"She hopes to play for England one day," said Sarah. "She is certainly enjoying it at the moment."

Sophie, who lives in Embsay, first started playing football with her older brothers, Matthew, 22, and Thomas, 18.

But while they still play for the village side, Sophie has progressed through the ranks and faces opponents such as Everton and Manchester United.

"She has a natural ability for sport, but she knows it is going to hard a hard slog to keep up standards," said Sarah.

Sophie first hit the headlines as a 12-year-old when, playing for Skipton Town Girls, she scored 16 goals in one game and was later picked to play for West Riding Girls.