Ellen Turnbull joined her first team at the age of 6, Cramlington Juniors, along with her sister. Who would both go on to represent Northumberland County together up until the age of 16. 

At 16 after representing her county, Ellen joined Newcastle United Women in the FA Northern Premier League, her talent and raw speed were noticed at the national level and she was chosen to represent England for the CYP at the Rosebowl tournament in Northern Ireland. 

Just weeks after turning 19 Ellen suffered a serious leg break in 2016 against West Brom, putting her out of competitive football for nearly two years returning for Newcastle in 2018.

In 2019, she took a step back from football to complete a Master's Degree in Sports Nutrition. 

After finishing her higher education Ellen joined Durham Cestria in 2020, where in her final season she narrowly missed out on promotion from the FA women’s National League North on goal difference and finished league runners-up, before joining Middlesbrough the next season.