When Beth Mead stepped up onto the stage to receive the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award last night, she became another step closer to making it “to the moon” — a prediction made by ex-Lioness manager Phil Neville earlier this summer.
“Sorry, I’m speechless for once,” the Whitby-born forward said tearfully into the mic as she became the first women’s footballer to win the award. “I’ll keep saying it’s a cliché, but I wouldn’t have done it without those girls over there and the team that have backed me. Yes, I’ve got this accolade and I did my job, I scored a few goals, but I wouldn’t have done it without them [her England team-mates] and without my mum and dad and my family. Most of all, this is for women’s sport. We’re heading in the right direction so let’s keep pushing, girls, and keep doing the right thing.”
Last night’s BBC award was Mead’s second major trophy of 2022 after the Lionesses’ victory in the Euros this summer and in some ways, a more powerful one: a message to the word that women’s sport is finally on its way to being seen on a level playing-field with men’s.
About time too. Mead, 27, became a household name in just a few short weeks this summer when she set the Euros alight with an exhilarating hat-trick that earned England a 8-0 victory against Norway in Brighton — and went on to give the Lionesses an early lead against Sweden in the semi-finals.
She became known as England’s “goalscoring monster” (former England striker Ian Wright’s words, not ours) and was described by Neville as the player who “could go to the moon” – a statement made even more powerful after she missed out on Great Britain’s squad for the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
Since then, she’s registered 18 England goals, become Arsenal’s player of the year and is quickly becoming a firm favourite among footie fans, as confirmed by last night’s trophy.
From pulling pints every weekend to save £100 for her first pair of football boots to being twice-named Vauxhall England Young Player of the Year, here’s how Mead became one of women’s football’s most exciting talents.
Energy, a love of sports and the beautiful game
Describing her introduction to football she said: “I had a lot of energy as a kid and because of that my mum wanted to get rid of some of that energy — and decided to take me to a Saturday morning football session on a village field, which was run by a guy.”
The coach originally warned her parents that she would be the only girl there and was concerned whether she would be okay as the boys were “quite rough”.
“My mum replied, ‘She’ll be fine’, because she just wanted to get rid of me I reckon. But when she came back an hour later, he basically said I was rougher than most of the boys,” said Mead.
It’s not just football either, Mead was evidently born with the sports gene. “I just loved all kinds of sports. Cross country, cricket – anything,” the Arsenal winger said to Herfootball Hub.
“I remember my local cricket team were one short one night, so I said I’d play and I caught two balls that night. Everyone referred to it as the ‘Mead Show’,” the star continued. “I just enjoyed playing any sport though – I was never the girl that forgot her PE kit. Although, I did have to work harder academically.”
From pulling pints to the Premier League
Before becoming a world-renowned athlete, Mead’s first job was behind the bar at the Fox and Hounds pub in Staithes near Whitby, just down the road from where she grew up in the coastal village of Hinderwell.
"Customers liked her," says publican Irene Ward to BBC Sport. "She was easy to get along with. She was absolutely dedicated to her football, that was all she lived for. I remember when she bought her first football boots, and she was absolutely thrilled because they were £100."
Mead began her youth career at California Girls FC before joining Middlesbrough F.C. Centre of Excellence at age 10. She then moved at age 16 to Sunderland, where she played her first season in the FA Women’s Premier League.
In a candid interview with Versus, Mead explained that she always thought you could make a career out of football, “but at the same time thought you needed to have something else outside of the game for later on down the line.” Hence why she finished her degree alongside her pro-contract from Sunderland. She also credits her parents for their dedication to her dreams.
“Obviously starting with my mum and dad from day one, with my mum working an extra job to cover the cost of petrol due to us having to drive 45 minutes twice a week at the time. They were, and still are, big people who have influenced my footballing career.”
Upon signing her professional contract, Mead quickly went from strength to strength. On 24 January 2017, it was announced that Arsenal Ladies had signed Mead on an undisclosed-length full-time deal.
"I’d played No 9 all my career until I came to Arsenal. I was a bit annoyed that I wasn’t playing No 9, because I thought that was my best position. But now I really enjoy playing on the wing. I can get involved, run at people, bring other people into play." Mead finished the 2017–18 season as Arsenal’s top goalscorer in the league with 8 goals and was voted Arsenal’s player of the season.
However, her first serious career low came last year when she was unexpectedly snubbed from the Tokyo Olympics squad. In an interview with The Telegraph, the athlete admitted that the slight floored her.
“I wasn’t in a good place last summer,” Mead told the publication. “To be part of the England set-up for so long and then dropped, for nobody to explain why or give a good reason for it … then I was brought back into the squad because of injuries, people pulled out and it was terrible.”
Nonetheless, Mead went on to have a fine individual season as the Gunners finished as runners-up in the Women’s Super League (WSL), scoring 11 times and laying on eight more. What’s more, the player admits she might not be the player she is now had it not been for the disappointment she suffered last summer when she missed out on the Olympics.
“I’ve played some of my best football this season. I had a point to prove,” she told The Guardian earlier this year. “Maybe what happened with the Olympics will prove to be a blessing in disguise. I wanted to prove the coaches who said I wasn’t good enough wrong.”
A feminist hero
Mead has long been an advocate for women’s football. In 2018 she joined social media campaign #WePlayStrong, whose aim was to make football the most popular sport among women by 2020.
“There weren’t a lot of girls training as a kid,” said Mead in a 2020 interview with Versus. “I’ve seen such a jump since I started. I’m playing full time in the top league and all the girls in that league are full-time. There are still barriers, but I’m so lucky to be at Arsenal where they drive us forward and support us.”
She continued: “Every aspect of the women’s game has changed. For example, social media and the level of coverage the game now receives – plus the level of analysis and critique that’s available – with Sky is amazing. It definitely feels different, and very new.
“We can feel the game is still moving forward, and we’re always trying to get those little ‘edges’ to make it even better.”
There is no denying the women’s game is growing rapidly — over four million Brits tuned in to watch the Euros 2022 opener — but Mead believes the importance of being a role model to girls following a pathway into the game is paramount. Still, that doesn’t stop it feeling strange whenever a young fan asks for a picture.
“It’s still really surreal because we think of ourselves as just Beth and Leah. Two people who just want to play football!” She told Versus. “So when little girls come up to me and ask for a picture, it’s really nice and quite humbling, but I do find it strange that people recognise me!”
After last night’s trophy, she might need to get used to that.
