Taylor began playing at age 11 and after answering a
Women's Football Association advert in
Shoot magazine, started playing for
Bronte Ladies. Her England debut came in a 2–0 defeat to
Germany in
Bochum on 16 December 1990. When Bronte were relegated, Taylor moved to Knowsley United, joining in preference to the dominant
Doncaster Belles because she wanted the challenge of playing for a developing club. Taylor played for Knowsley United in the
1992–93 WFA Women's National League Cup final, at
Wembley, and two months later in the
Cricket World Cup final at
Lord's. Knowsley United became
Liverpool Ladies shortly after losing the
1994 FA Women's Cup Final to Doncaster Belles. Taylor's team, Liverpool, were also beaten in the following two seasons' FA Cup finals, by
Arsenal (1995) and
Croydon (1996) respectively. During her amateur sporting career, Taylor was employed by the
Royal Mail, though she noted: "The amount of time I spend away on unpaid leave has got beyond a joke." Although Taylor preferred football to cricket, she focused on cricket after being dropped from the England football team. ==Cricket career==