Rachel Olivia Maltby (born 25 March 2007) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club Aston Villa and the England under-19 national team.
Early life Rachel Olivia Maltby was born on 25 March 2007 in Northamptonshire.
Youth career Maltby began playing football with a local boys' team, Long Buckby, at the under-six level. She later stopped playign football to pursue gymnastics and swimming, but returned to football at the under-nine age group. She then played for a Rushden & Diamonds boys' team, where she was noticed by an Aston Villa men's scout. In her youth, she played as a forward.
Club career
Aston Villa A product of the Aston Villa academy setup, Maltby signed her first professional contract with the club in March 2025. She made her senior debut for the club in April 2025, coming on as a substitute during a 5–2 win against Arsenal. Her first goal came in November 2025, a 90th minute equaliser against Birmingham City in the League Cup; Villa would go on to lose the match 3–1 on penalties.
International career Maltby has represented England at both the under-17 and under-19 age groups. Having previously played as a forward, Maltby transitioned to the left-back position during her time with the under-17 team.
In 2024, she was called up to both the UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup (in which England finished fourth).
On 21 August 2026, Maltby was called up to represent England at the 2026 U-20 Women's World Cup. Maltby scored the equaliser in England's opening game, a 1–1 draw to Canada. During a 5–1 victory over Tanzania, she recorded a hat-trick. In doing so, she became the first English player to score a hat-trick at an U-20 Women's World Cup in eight years, following in the footsteps of Lauren Hemp in 2018. Maltby scored again in the team's 1–2 loss to Brazil, marking a goal in each group stage match. Of her four group stage goals, three were penalties: this made Maltby the first player to score three penalties in an U-20 group stage. She provided a further three assists in the group stage.
Career statistics
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague CupTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAston Villa2024–25Women's Super League20——202025–26Women's Super League16010312012026–27Women's Super League20002040Career total2001051261
References
External links Rachel Maltby at Aston Villa FC