Lauren James (born 29 September 2001) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for
Women's Super League
The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features t ...
club
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and the
England women's national team.
Club career
Arsenal
James was scouted by
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
as a 13-year-old and trained with the boys' team, but within two years she began training with the first team.
On 29 September 2017, James made her debut for Arsenal, coming on in the 67th minute, replacing
Lisa Evans
Lisa Catherine Evans (born 21 May 1992) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for West Ham United in the FA WSL, the top-tier for women's football in England, and for the Scotland national team. She previously played club football fo ...
in a 2–0 win over
Everton in the
2017–18 season.
In doing so, she became the second-youngest player in Arsenal's history to make their debut.
Manchester United
On 13 July 2018, it was announced that James would be part of the first professional
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
squad due to compete in the newly restructured
2018–19 FA Women's Championship
The 2018–19 FA Women's Championship was the first rebranded edition of the FA Women's Championship, the second tier of women's football in England, renamed from the FA WSL 2 which was founded in 2014. The season ran from 8 September 2018 to 12 M ...
. She made her competitive debut for Manchester United in a 1–0
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
victory against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, on 19 August.
She scored the opening two goals in United's first game of the
2018–19 Championship season, a 12–0 win away to
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
. James was voted FA Women's Championship player of the month for September following her three goals across Manchester United's unbeaten opening month.
On 20 April 2019, James scored four goals in a 7–0 league win against
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
.
James scored United's first ever
WSL goal, netting in the 71st minute in a 2–0 win against Liverpool on 28 September 2019.
Two weeks later, James was sent off in United's 3–0 league win away to
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
after receiving two yellow cards.
James signed her first professional contract with the club on 16 December.
At the end of the
2019–20 season, James finished as United's top scorer and was named to the four player shortlist for
PFA Women's Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Women's Young Player of the Year (commonly referred to as PFA Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is voted to have been the best of the year in English women's football. T ...
.
On 27 March 2021, James opened the scoring in a 2–0 league victory over
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. The match was the first FA WSL match to be played at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
.
Chelsea
On 23 July 2021, James signed a four-year contract with
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
.
She scored her first goal for the club in a 9-0 away win against
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on 27 March 2022.
International career
Youth
In April 2017, James made her
under-17 debut in a 2–0 friendly defeat to
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. On 14 October 2017, she captained England during a 10–0 win over Latvia as part of
2018 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification, scoring four goals.
In January 2019, James received her first call-up to the
under-19 squad for the Algarve Tournament.
In July 2019, James was named in the England squad for the
2019 UEFA Under-19 Championship in Scotland.
Senior
In November 2020, James received her first senior national team call-up as part of a 29-player training camp at
St George's Park.
James made her senior debut on 3 September 2022, coming on as a 79th minute substitute during England's
2023 World Cup qualification match against
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
Personal life
James is the younger sister of
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
defender
Reece James Reece James may refer to:
* Reece James (footballer, born 1993), English footballer born in Bacup, Lancashire
* Reece James (footballer, born 1999), English footballer born in Redbridge, London
See also
* James Reece (disambiguation)
* Rhys James ...
.
She has cited her father Nigel, a UEFA licensed football coach, as inspiration: "
ehas helped me every step of the way. I grew up playing football with my brothers and wanted to play like them; I have always loved the game. I am grateful to my Dad for all the time, effort and love that he has put into my football by coaching me in order that I reach the very best level." She is of Jamaican descent through her father.
She attended
Whitton School
Twickenham School, is a co-educational secondary school located in Whitton, in the London Borough of Richmond, south-west London. It has two predecessor schools: Twickenham Academy and before that Whitton School.
Twickenham School is an acad ...
in
Whitton, London.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Statistics accurate as of match played 15 November 2022.''
Honours
Manchester United
*
FA Women's Championship
The Women's Championship (formerly The FA Women's Championship) is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The division was established in 2014 as the FA Women's Super League 2 (WSL 2).
WSL 2 replaced the previous level 2 d ...
:
2018–19
Chelsea
*
FA Women's Super League
The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features t ...
:
2021–22
Individual
*
FA Women's Championship
The Women's Championship (formerly The FA Women's Championship) is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The division was established in 2014 as the FA Women's Super League 2 (WSL 2).
WSL 2 replaced the previous level 2 d ...
Player of the Month:
September 2018[
* North-West Football Awards Women's Rising Star: 2020]
References
External links
Profile
at the Manchester United F.C. website
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Lauren
2001 births
Living people
English women's footballers
England women's international footballers
England women's youth international footballers
English sportspeople of Jamaican descent
Women's Super League players
Arsenal W.F.C. players
Manchester United W.F.C. players
Chelsea F.C. Women players
FA Women's National League players
Women's association football forwards