A FLORIST and former cheerleader says she is ‘thrilled and overwhelmed’ after being chosen to represent Team GB in the European Championships for American Football.

Lindsey Robson, who owns Charlton’s Florist in Crook, County Durham, first took an interest in the sport when she was cheerleading for a university match in 2013.

“I was watching and thinking that I could do that, so I looked into it and started with a women’s team in Teesside in the November,” she said.

“There was a development day in Warwick for team GB soon after and I was asked if I would like to go, so I went for it and was picked to be part of the squad.

“I feel overwhelmed. The sport is really starting to take off in the UK and is becoming more and more popular now. We want more women to join in too.”

The 25-year-old is the only player on Team GB from the North-East and says she is proud of being the most northerly team member.

The upcoming European Championships will take place in Spain from Saturday, August 1 to Sunday, August 9, and will be the first women’s European competition.

To qualify for the championships Team GB played against Russia on Sunday, May 3, and won with a score of 54-6.

Miss Robson added: “It’s amazing, I’m absolutely thrilled to be going to the championships, it’s a great opportunity and something that you couldn’t pass up.

“I am however slightly nervous, and if I think about it too much I think I could psyche myself out of it. We will be playing in temperatures of over 30 degrees with all of the kit on so it’s going to be tough.

“But we are ready to give it everything we’ve got.”

Miss Robson is looking for sponsors to help get her and the 45-strong team to the competition in a few weeks.

She added: “I’ve managed to sort a little bit of sponsorship but it’s going to cost around £500 to get each player there.

“If anybody could sponsor us that would be a massive help. I’m more than happy to promote other businesses in the florist.”

To offer sponsorship or for more information contact Miss Robson on crook-florist@hotmail.co.uk.