EVERTON ladies goalkeeper Rachel Brown has spoken of her pride at being one of three Toffees picked by Team GB for this summer’s London Olympic Games.

The Blues keeper, 31, was confirmed in Hope Powell’s final 18 for the competition alongside club team-mates Jill Scott and Fara Williams.

And despite a long and distinguished career that has included more than a century of England caps, Brown insists this latest achievement ranks among her finest.

“My initial reaction was actually quite emotional,” she said. “I’m unbelievably proud to represent Great Britain in the biggest tournament in the world.

“Looking back on an England career that spans nearly 15 years, this is something that I never really could have dreamed of.

“In previous years it has never even been a possibility, so for me now to have been picked, I really think it is one of the highest points in my career as an international player.”

The ladies team begin their challenge for gold against New Zealand at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on July 25.

They play Cameroon on July 28 – again in Cardiff – before finishing off their group against Brazil on July 31 at Wembley.

And Brown, who hopes the Games will give great exposure to the ladies’ game, believes Team GB can go all the way.

“Ultimately, we want to win the thing,” she said. “We have no misconceptions of how good our team is going to be. I’m not being overconfident with that – the players that have come in from Scotland are exceptional.

“I’m hoping that we can do something extraordinary on home soil.”

Brown added: “There’s been hype about the Olympics since it got announced that London was to be hosting it. When we found out for definite that we were going to have a women’s team that was huge in itself.

“It’ll just mean that so many people will be able to watch women’s football. Hopefully it will get a lot of media attention to help kick the sport on even further.”