The footballer swapping the pitch for the beach

All eyes are on the World Cup taking place across the Atlantic, but England also has an international beach women's football team which competes in major tournaments.

Part of the side is Erin Bloomfield, who started her football career in Yeovil, and when she's not running a football academy in Dorset, she plays for the sand-based Lionesses.

Travelling once a week to London to the only full-size pitch in the UK, she was encouraged to try beach football by a former Bournemouth team member.

Bloomfield said she had to "learn a lot" to make the switch, and had to do a lot of adjusting to playing on sand.

Bloomfield, who has played for Bournemouth and Bristol Rovers professionally, said it was a "big learning curve".

"I was just able to take the mindset of playing football and being really competitive and also the basic skills of sort of getting the ball in the air, being able to control it, volley it.

"You can't really dribble, there's a lot more flicks and running on and passing and moving - It is exhausting but a lot of fun at the same time," she said.

The only full-size beach soccer pitch in the UK is in London, with Bloomfield having to travel there once a week to train for three hours, before returning to Dorset.

Beach soccer has a number of different rules to traditional football, with five players in each team including the goalkeeper, and players playing in bare feet.

A game lasts 36 minutes, in three 12-minute periods, and there is no offside. Players must pass the ball within four seconds of receiving it if they are in their own area.

Bloomfield ended up flying out to represent England at the European Championships in Spain this month - even scoring against the title-holding host nation.

"It was incredible," she said, admitting it was also "unexpected".

"Spain were definitely the favourites in the tournament.

"They were world champions, the lady marking me was just voted the best player in the world - so I went onto the pitch not expecting much

"When I did score it was an incredible feeling... I managed to score past her."

She said she is "extremely proud" of being able to jump in to the beach version of her sport.

"It's a new world... I am proud to represent England."

England Women Beach Soccer said of her debut tournament: "Bloomfield added attacking threat and work rate, displaying natural instincts around goal and a willingness to take responsibility in key moments."

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