The 15-year-old Columba College pupil and her older sister Sian are talented middle-distance runners who have made a habit of synchronising their efforts to win races on the same day.
But when Hanna is not trying to out-do her sibling on the athletics track or cross-country course, she is kicking a football around.
The round-ball code is her first love, whereas athletics is more of handy sideline.
"Soccer is my main sport but running complements it quite well, so it is easy to train for both," she said.
The year 10 central attacking midfielder used her silky skills to help the Otago under-17 girls side win the South Island championship in Methven last week and last month was named in the New Zealand under-16 football squad which will contest an Australasian tournament in Fiji in December.
It is an exciting step up for Hanna, who initially followed in her big sister's footsteps and played tennis. But football felt more rewarding and she keeps busy playing for a host of teams, including her school and her club, Dunedin Technical.
She is also part of the Footballsouth squad which is preparing for the national league. That tournament starts next month and runs through to December.
It is a big commitment for the teenager, but then she has some lofty goals.
She is hopeful her football skills will help attract a sporting scholarship to attend a university in the United States, and in two years there is an under-17 World Cup in Costa Rica, a tournament she would dearly love to be part of.
The following year Canada is hosting the women's World Cup. Those are enough reasons to train hard, and for any extra inspiration she needs to look no further than Football Ferns striker Rosie White.
The 19-year-old Aucklander made a name for herself when she achieved a unique double, scoring a hat trick against Colombia in the 2008 under-17 World Cup and two weeks later scoring another hat trick, this time against Chile in the under-20 World Cup. White also secured a scholarship at UCLA.
Hanna has been invited to play for the Coastal Spirit under-19 woman's side this weekend as a guest player in the Christchurch Tsunami football tournament .
FAST LANE
Name: Hanna English (15)
School: Columba College
Achievements: New Zealand under-16 football team
