A rising star on the football scene has given back to the club that helped to kickstart her career.

Martha Allington, a member of the Manchester United and England Under-16 squads, made donations to Dalton United Juniors last week.

Martha, a Millom local, began her footballing journey in Furness but has not forgotten those Cumbrian roots since moving her game further south.

Read more: Man United academy star Martha Allington scores goals for England U-16 | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

A spokesperson from Dalton United Juniors FC said: "Martha kindly donated a Nike kit and Nike tracksuit tops.

"She previously played for us when we were Dalton Girls and Ladies - thank you for this donation and good luck for next season!"

Back in December last year, Martha penned a deal to be sponsored by industry giant Nike.

In the process, this made her the youngest woman across Europe to be backed by the company, joining the likes of Simone Biles, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova under the Nike umbrella.

Martha is now a member of the Manchester United academy having moved on from Blackburn Rovers and has grown to be a key figure in the squad, winning the Emma Fletcher Women's Academy Player of the Year Award in May in 2023.

Read more: Junior Sport: Millom schoolgirl Martha Allington begins well-trodden path | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

Her dad, Steve Allington, explained how this journey started thanks to the likes of Dalton Juniors.

He said: "She first started playing local Barrow and District football for Millom, she was playing for Dalton girls, the two clubs she started with - interestingly where Georgia Stanway started. 

"She was asked to trial at Blackburn Rovers when she was nine, and then we decided to take a bit of a risk and trialled at Manchester United."

Martha first made her appearance on the international stage back in October 2022, scoring four goals against Wales in a 7-2 victory.

After making her full debut for England in April 2023, an injury towards the end of the year stalled her progress - though she has since returned to the pitch last month and was quickly back amongst the goals, as well as helping United claim victory in the FA Youth Cup.

The hope is that, having once been inspired by Stanway, her involvement with Dalton will have the same effect on getting girls involved in the sport.