The exciting young forward joins the Club from Women’s Championship side Durham, who we recently faced in our first competitive fixture of 2024.
An England youth international, the 18-year-old has signed on a three-and-a-half-year deal, committing her future to City until the summer of 2027.
Here’s ten things that you might not know about our newest recruit…
An exciting opportunity
Pritchard says the faith placed in her by Gareth Taylor was a key reason behind her decision to join the Club on deadline day.
“He’s put his trust in me, so I can’t wait to develop and start training,” she revealed.
“I’m so excited. Obviously, it’s a great opportunity for a young player like me, so I can’t wait to get started.
“I think the opportunity for someone my age to be playing in and around the best players in the world is just such a great opportunity and a real good challenge for me.”
New team-mates
Our new recruit also says she can’t wait to work alongside, and test herself against, her new City team-mates.
With the likes of Bunny Shaw, Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp, Mary Fowler and Jess Park to learn from, Pritchard believes she can reach new levels at the City Football Academy.
She added: “Obviously, it’s my first professional contract so I’m sure I’ll learn all about what it’s like being a professional footballer on and off the pitch, and how to try and become the elite of the elite.
“They are the best, so learning from them will be a great opportunity and experience.”
Familiar foe
Less than one month ago, Pritchard’s new team-mates were her opponents, as City faced Durham in an FA Cup fourth round clash at Maiden Castle.
The 18-year-old came on as a second half substitute for the Championship side, with Gareth Taylor’s side eventually running out 4-0 winners.
“It was really good, obviously,” the forward reflects on the experience of facing City.
“You could see the levels from City, they know what they’re doing, and their style of play is amazing.”
Debut delight
Our new forward certainly knows where the goal is, as proven by a memorable first appearance for England’s Under-19s in September 2023.
Pritchard found the net inside 15 minutes for the Young Lionesses en route to a 5-0 win over Denmark.
Here’s hoping the youngster can make a similarly fast start to life at City in the coming months!
Treble-maker
While Pritchard enjoyed plenty of exposure to senior football at Durham, perhaps the forward’s crowning moment so far came for their Under-21s side in November 2023.
Indeed, the forward was the hero in a 3-2 victory over Manchester United U21, grabbing all three of Durham’s goals as the Wildcats secured a memorable win!
Food for thought
Of course, professional footballers have to adhere to a strict diet to maintain peak performance, but they’re entitled to a sweet treat every now and then.
For our newest recruit, that’d be a strawberry and Nutella pancake, which she revealed is her favourite food.
TV choices
Asked for her go-to TV series, Pritchard cited the Office as top of her list.
When focusing specifically on films, the forward couldn’t pick between the classic musical Mamma Mia, and animated fantasy comedy, Tangled.
Best qualities
For any City fans wondering what our latest signing can add to Gareth Taylor’s squad, the forward believes her ability to player in several attacking positions and clinical nature particularly stand out.
However, she’s excited to continue honing her craft under the watchful eye of the boss at the CFA.
She explained: “I would like to think I’m quite versatile. I’ve got an eye for goal, and I like scoring.
“But to be in and around the top players at City, I can’t wait to get even better.”
Great Scott
While City presents a new opportunity for Pritchard, the forward revealed that she’d previously spoken with Jill Scott about the Club.
Our former midfielder made just shy of 200 appearances for City between 2014 and 2022 and, to the 18-year-old, her passion for the Club was evident.
Pritchard explained: “I’ve spoken to Jill Scott before, and I know that she’s a great human and really nice.
“You could tell that she really cared about the Club. She was really supportive and clearly cared about young players.”
Ambitions
While our young forward is excited by what she and the team can achieve in the future, her feet remain firmly on the ground.
Asked about any personal targets she’s set ahead of her move to City, Pritchard stressed that her key focus is to become a regular in our senior setup over the coming months and years.
“Just to break through,” she added when asked to reveal her personal aspirations.
“It’ll be hard and over a long period of time, but to just break into the first-team squad eventually and try and do the best I can.”
