Bethany Jane Mead (born 9 May 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Women's Super League club Manchester City and the England national team. She has previously played for Sunderland and Arsenal.
A creative and prolific forward, she has all-time most assists and all-time second-most goal contributions in the WSL. At Euro 2022, she became the Golden Boot winner, Player of the Tournament, and top assist provider, leading England to win a major tournament for the first time. Later that year, she was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, becoming the first women's footballer to win the prestigious award; and finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or and UEFA Player of the Year. She was part of the England squad which won Euro 2025, having her penalty saved in the shootout of the tournament's final.
In 2015, Mead won the WSL Golden Boot and the WSL Player of the Year award, becoming the youngest WSL Golden Boot winner at the age of 20. It was only a season after leading her then-club Sunderland's promotion and WSL 2 title win. Having scored 81 goals in 109 games, she is regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever played for Sunderland.
Converted to a winger at Arsenal, Mead holds numerous WSL records in playmaking, including all-time most assists, most assists in a season, most chances created in a season, and most chances created from open play in a season. She was the WSL top assist provider in the 2018–19 and 2021–22 seasons. In the 2021–22 season, she was nominated for WSL Player of the Season. She won the 2018–19 WSL title with Arsenal, as well as the 2024–25 Champions League.
Mead helped England reach the semi-final at the 2019 Women's World Cup, providing second-most assists in the tournament. In 2022, she broke Jimmy Greaves' 61-year-old record of the most goals scored in a season by an England player of either gender and was named BBC Women's Footballer of the Year and World Soccer World Player of the Year. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for her services to football.
Mead and her alma mater Teesside University launched the Beth Mead Scholarship in February 2022. Her autobiography, Lioness: My Journey to Glory, was published in November 2022 and became a Sunday Times bestseller.
Early life Bethany Jane Mead was born on 9 May 1995 to parents June and Richard. She has a brother, Ben. Mead grew up in Hinderwell, a small village near Whitby, which she has described as ‘‘a fishing town in the middle of nowhere.’’ Mead attended Oakridge Community Primary School in Hinderwell where she played with the boys' football team and was the only girl. She was captain of the primary school team, and has stated that made other girls feel more comfortable to join. The team won the local primary school cup for boys' teams with four girls in the team.
Mead started playing football when she was six years old. Her mother took her to a Saturday morning football session on a village field to encourage her to expend energy. Initially concerned that Mead would be the only girl in the session, the coach later remarked that Mead was rougher than most of the boys.
Mead took part in many sports, including cross-country running, netball, cricket, and field hockey, but ‘‘football always hit [her] different.’’ She has described football as her ‘‘one true love.’’ Mead joined in with her local senior men's cricket team and caught two balls from her brother's bowling; she states that the local newspaper described it as the ‘Mead Show.’
Youth career Age nine, Mead began her youth career at California Boys FC and the Middlesbrough centre of excellence. During her time playing in Middlesbrough, her mother picked up a second job to help cover the cost of petrol.
While playing in the boys' league with California Boys, Mead states that other team's players and parents would laugh when they saw her turn up because she was a girl. Her teammates used to tell the other team to laugh ahead of kick-off because they knew that as soon as the game started, she would be running rings around them. Mead's father advised her to not engage as ‘‘[her] football [would] do the talking.’’ Mead states that she ultimately earned a lot of respect from teams and their parents.
As a teenager, Mead scored a hat-trick in six or seven minutes for Middlesbrough against Sunderland, considered to be one of the best teams in England at the time. When she turned 16, Mick Mulhern, Sunderland's then-manager, met Mead and her parents to sign her up for the team. According to Mulhern, his determination to sign her came as he ‘‘knew [what] she would become.’’
Club career Sunderland, 2011–16
2011–13: Back-to-back WPL titles and Golden Boot awards In 2011–12, her first season in the FA Women's Premier League (WPL), Mead scored 23 goals in 23 games. Sunderland won the league, in part due to Mead's winning goal against Leeds United. Sunderland also won their first FA Women's Premier League Cup, completing a domestic double. Mead won the WPL Golden Boot, was jointly named Sunderland Player of the Year award alongside captain Stephanie Bannon, and won the Mavis Clayton Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Achievement. Bannon acted as a mentor for Mead.
In the 2012–13 season, Mead recorded 30 goals in 28 matches. She again won the FA WPL Golden Boot and Sunderland Player of the Year award. She was also named Top Female Achiever at the Scarborough and District Sports Awards.
2014: Leading Sunderland's promotion In 2014, Sunderland won the FA WSL 2 and gained promotion to the WSL. Mead was the team's top-scorer with 15 goals across all competition. She was nominated for WSL 2 Player of the Year, and named SportsByte Sports Person of the Year, Top Female Achiever at the Scarborough and District Sports Awards, and Sunderland Supporters' Young Player of the Year.
Although Mead turned professional upon Sunderland's league promotion, she resolved to finish her final year at Teesside University; as part of the ‘Where Greatness Is Made’ campaign, a plaque honouring Mead was installed at the university. She also kept working at her local pub; the landlord had sponsored her during her early career, and Mead repaid the support by working behind the bar.
2015–16: The youngest WSL Golden Boot winner In her first match in the WSL, Mead scored in Sunderland's shock 2–1 win over reigning champions Liverpool. On 19 July 2015, Mead scored a hat-trick against league leaders Chelsea, making her the league-leading scorer with eight goals. Earlier that week, Mead rolled her car three times while trying to avoid a deer, but avoided injury. The following week, she scored twice in a 4–1 win against Bristol, sending Sunderland to the top of the WSL's league table. Her 11 goals in ten games became the league record for most goals in the first ten appearances for a club.
Mead ended the 2015 season as the leading goalscorer in the WSL with 12 goals in 14 appearances. At the age of 20, she became the youngest WSL Golden Boot winner ever. Sunderland finished in fourth place.
During this period, Mead was mentored by Jermain Defoe. Defoe had watched Mead's goals and asked ‘‘What were you thinking when you did that?’’ Mead states that they have stayed in touch. In 2022, Defoe wrote an afterword to Mead's autobiography.
Alongside the WSL Golden Boot, Mead was named WSL Player's Player of the Year, PFA Young Player of the Year, England Young Player of the Year, North East Football Writers' Association (FWA) Ladies Player of the Year, Sunderland Player of the Year, Sunderland Supporters' Player of the Year, SportsByte Sports Person of the Year, and Top Female Achiever at Scarborough and District Sports Awards. She was nominated for PFA Players' Player of the Year and was selected for the PFA Team of the Year.
Mead is regarded as one of Sunderland's best-ever players. Roker Report said: ‘‘Long standing fans of the Lasses had never quite seen anything like it, she was almost unplayable at times.’’ In 2019l Mead was named Sunderland Forward of the Decade and was selected in Sunderland Team of the Decade.
Arsenal, 2017–2026 2017–18 On 24 January 2017, it was announced that Arsenal had signed Mead to a contract with an undisclosed length. She had resisted several offers from Arsenal since 2015 to finish her university degree. At Arsenal, Vivianne Miedema soon occupied the centre-forward role, so Mead began to play as a winger instead.
Arsenal won the 2017–18 FA Women's League Cup with Mead scoring in the knockout rounds against her former club Sunderland. Mead finished the 2017–18 season as Arsenal's top goalscorer in the league with eight goals. Mead was named England Young Player of the Year for the second time, Football Supporters' Association (FSA) Player of the Year, and selected in the PFA Team of the Year.
2018–19: WSL title and most assists in a season record By the 2018–19 season, Mead grew a lot under Joe Montemurro.She topped various creative statistics in the league, registering the highest assists per 90 (0.71), most carries into penalty area (42), highest xG assisted (6.6), most crosses into penalty area (19), and most shot-creating actions (96).
On 28 April 2019, Mead scored the third goal in Arsenal's 4–0 title-clinching win over Brighton & Hove Albion.The goal won the WSL Goal of the Season award. Mead was nominated for the 2019 FSA Player of the Year. In addition, she was named WSL Player of the Month in March 2019 and April 2019.
2019–20 On 28 November 2019, Mead signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. She suffered an injury during a 3–2 league win against Liverpool on 13 February 2020. A week later, Arsenal announced that she had injured her medial collateral ligament. The 2019–20 WSL season ended prematurely on 13 March 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Arsenal was the only WSL club to proceed to the 2019–20 UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final but, despite a goal from Mead, were defeated 1–2 by Paris Saint-Germain.
2020–21 On 15 November 2020, Mead scored in the 86th minute of a 1–1 draw against league champions Chelsea. During the 2020–21 season, Mead provided the second-most assists in the WSL.
2021–22: WSL all-time assists leader and Arsenal Player of the Season In the 2021–22 season, Mead was the top assist provider (8) and scored the third-most goals (11) in the WSL, helping Arsenal push in a title race that went down to the final day. Arsenal finished the season in second place, only a point behind champions Chelsea. Arsenal were the only WSL team to proceed to the knockout stage in the 2021–22 UEFA Women's Champions League.
Mead set several WSL playmaking records in the season: she became the WSL all-time assists leader, broke the record for most chances created in a season (72), and most chances created from open play in a season (54+). She again led the majority of creative statistics in the league.
With 14 goals and 19 assists in 34 starts, Mead's total goal contributions in the season came to 33. During the league opener against defending champions Chelsea, Mead scored a brace to defeat Chelsea 3–2. She was named Player of the Match. On 27 January 2022, Arsenal was behind Brighton & Hope Albion 0–1 after the first half. Mead assisted the equalling goal and scored the second. She was named Player of the Match. On 24 April 2022, Mead not only became the WSL all-time assist leader, but also scored her 50th WSL goal. Additionally, she assisted Jordan Nobbs' 50th WSL goal. She was named the Player of the Match.
Mead established herself as the centrepiece of the pressing and counter-pressing system under new manager Jonas Eidevall. She topped the charts for pressing and defensive actions in the final third. On her counterpressing ability, Eidevall said: ‘‘I have never coached a player who is as fast at it (counterpressing) as Beth Mead.’’