Lucy Elizabeth Staniforth-Wilson (
née Staniforth; born 2 October 1992) 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 ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
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
Aston Villa and the
England women's national team. She has been described by former England coach
Mark Sampson
Mark Geraint Sampson (born 18 October 1982) is a Welsh football coach who was most recently a first team coach at Stevenage. He has also been a manager of the England women's team.
Playing career
Born and raised in Creigiau, a suburb of Car ...
as "one of the best young players in Europe".
Club career
Sunderland
![Lucy Staniforth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Lucy_Staniforth.JPG)
Staniforth began playing for the
Sunderland first team at the age of 16. In her first season in senior football, she was instrumental in helping Sunderland win the
FA Women's Premier League Northern Division
The FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division is a league at the third-level in the women's football league pyramid in England, along with the Southern division. These two divisions are part of the FA Women's National League and bel ...
and reach the 2009 FA Women's Cup final, where they were beaten 2–1 by Arsenal. The following season, Staniforth figured prominently as a key player in Sunderland's success as they finished fifth in their first season back at the top level.
Lincoln Ladies
Upon Sunderland's failed bid to join the
FA WSL in 2010, Staniforth joined successful applicant,
Lincoln Ladies. She started every game in her first season at the club, netting three times. The most notable of her goals in her first season in the
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 ...
came in the away fixture at
Doncaster Belles
Doncaster Rovers Belles Ladies Football Club, previously Doncaster Belles, is an English women's football club that currently plays in the , the fourth tier of women's football in England. The club's administration is based at the Eco Power St ...
. Staniforth helped her side reach fourth place in the league.
In the
2012 season, Staniforth bettered her goalscoring tally substantially, scoring on a further 6 occasions in all competitions. In the two ultimate games of the season, she scored winning goals for Lincoln: an extravagant lob from 35 yards against
Everton Ladies, and against
Chelsea Ladies, lifting the side to fifth in the table.
Bristol City
In December 2012, it was announced that Staniforth would be joining
Bristol Academy, against whom she had scored twice in the preceding
2012 FA WSL season. Staniforth scored her first goal for the club in the home fixture against Doncaster Rovers Belles, with a 22-yard drive. In her first season at the Stoke Gifford Stadium, Staniforth reached the second
FA Women's Cup
The Women's FA Challenge Cup Competition is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup and now Women's FA Cup (Vitality Women's FA Cup for sponsorship reas ...
final of her career. During the match she suffered a serious knee injury and was stretchered off. After only a short time at the club, Staniforth subsequently spent the remainder of the season sidelined, with plans to return in time for the
2014 season. Bristol ended the season runners-up, losing 2–0 on the final day of the season to champions
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 populat ...
.
Liverpool
In February 2014, Staniforth joined reigning
FA WSL champions Liverpool for a reported five-figure fee. Staniforth sustained an injury during pre-season, this time to the
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...
in her other leg, which put her out of action for the entirety of the
2014 season. Despite Staniforth's injury, which ruled her out for the entire season, Liverpool went on to win the
FA WSL title for the second consecutive year.
Return to Sunderland
In January 2016, Staniforth left Liverpool and returned to Sunderland on a two-year contract.
At the beginning of the 2017 season, Lucy was awarded penalty-taking responsibilities for her club. In both the fifth and sixth round of the
FA Women's Cup
The Women's FA Challenge Cup Competition is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup and now Women's FA Cup (Vitality Women's FA Cup for sponsorship reas ...
, against
Aston Villa and
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 ...
respectively, Staniforth scored from the penalty spot. She then scored on two further occasions in the league, from the spot against her old club
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
and directly from a corner against
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
with the outside of her foot.
Following Steph Bannon's departure from the club, Staniforth was named club captain of
Sunderland in July 2017. Staniforth's rich vein of form continued into the
2018 season, scoring against both
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
and
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 populat ...
and netting a brace against
Aston Villa. In the Fourth Round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
against Brighouse Town L.F.C, Lucy scored a second half hat-trick – the first hat-trick of her senior career. In Staniforth's inaugural season as captain, she was awarded Player of the Season for her club and nominated for Goal of the Season at the FAWSL Awards.
Birmingham City
In 2018, she joined
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
. After two seasons, she left upon the expiry of her contract.
Manchester United
On 9 July 2020, Staniforth signed a two-year deal with
Manchester United. She made her debut on 4 October as a 65th minute substitute in a 3–0 victory over
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
. On 1 August 2022, Staniforth signed a one-year contract extension until the end of the 2022–23 season.
Aston Villa
On 9 January 2023, Staniforth signed for fellow WSL team
Aston Villa on a free transfer following the termination of her Manchester United contract.
International career
Staniforth has represented England on the senior national team as well as numerous youth national teams.
Youth national teams, 2008–12
She featured for England in their fourth-place finish at the
2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, scoring an excellent goal against
Japan in the quarter final.
In July 2009 Staniforth competed at the
2009 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
The UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship 2009 Final Tournament was held in Belarus from 13 to 25 July 2009. Players born on or after 1 January 1990 were eligible to participate in this competition. The tournament served as a qualifier for the 2010 F ...
in
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
, which England won. In her time with the
U-19s, she scored twice. In 2010 Staniforth helped England reach the final of the
2010 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
The UEFA Women's U-19 Championship 2010 Final Tournament was held in Macedonia between 24 May and 5 June 2010. Players born after 1 January 1991 were eligible to participate in this competition.
Qualifications
There were two separate rounds of ...
in FYR Macedonia, where they lost their title to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Later that summer Staniforth played in two of England's games at the
2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
The 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was the 5th edition of the tournament. It was held in Germany, who will also host the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup a year later from 13 July to 1 August 2010. Sixteen teams, comprising representatives from al ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Staniforth subsequently joined the ranks of the U-23s, making her debut against Norway in February 2012. Staniforth scored an impressive 25-yard drive in the first game of the Under-23 Four Nations La Manga Tournament, helping her team beat Sweden 2–0.
Senior national team, 2018–
Staniforth earned her first call up to the senior England squad for the
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. I ...
qualifying match against Russia at
Sapsan Arena
Sapsan Arena (russian: «Сапсан Арена») is a football stadium situated in Moscow, Russia. It hosts Kazanka Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow's farm club, and Lokomotiv Moscow's youth team. It seats 10,000 people.
History
The stadium was ...
in Moscow on 8 June 2018. She gained her first cap on 4 September 2018 in a
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. I ...
qualifying match against Kazakhstan, scoring on her debut in the 66th minute. Staniforth scored the opening goal in the ultimate game of the
2019 SheBelieves Cup
The 2019 SheBelieves Cup was the fourth edition of the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational women's soccer tournament held in the United States. Featuring national teams from Brazil, England, Japan, and hosts United States, it began on February 27 an ...
, helping the Lionesses beat Japan 3–0 and win the international tournament for the first time.
On 8 May 2019, Staniforth was called up to the
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 ...
23-player squad for the
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. I ...
in France.
Personal life
Staniforth comes from a footballing family, where both her father and brother were professionals.
Gordon Staniforth, her father, played for
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
and
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
, his hometown club, as well as a host of other clubs. Her brother, Tom, played for
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
's reserve and youth sides but died at the age of 20 in 2001. Throughout her career Lucy has worn the number 37, Tom's squad number with Sheffield Wednesday. After hitting the first goal in Lincoln's 3–0 WSL win at Doncaster Rovers Belles, Lucy revealed a T-shirt paying tribute to Tom on the tenth anniversary of his death.
Staniforth is openly
lesbian and married her wife in December 2022.
Career statistics
Club
.
International goals
:''As of match played 6 June 2019. England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Staniforth goal.''
Honours
Sunderland
*
FA Women's Premier League Northern Division
The FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division is a league at the third-level in the women's football league pyramid in England, along with the Southern division. These two divisions are part of the FA Women's National League and bel ...
:
2008–09
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
runner-up:
2009
Bristol Academy
*
FA WSL runner-up:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
runner-up:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
Liverpool
*
FA WSL:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
England
*
SheBelieves Cup
The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational women's soccer tournament held in different cities in the United States in late February or early March. In its first three years (2016, 2017 and 2018), it was contested by the same four teams: the United ...
:
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Individual
*Sunderland Ladies Player of the Year: 2018
*Sunderland Ladies Team of the Decade XI: 2010s
See also
*
List of England women's international footballers
This is a list of England women's international footballers – association football players who have played for the England women's national football team. This table takes into account all official England matches.
Legacy numbers were intro ...
*
FA WSL records and statistics : ''As of end of 4 December 2022''
The following is a list of records and statistics of the FA Women's Super League (FA WSL) — the highest level of women's football in England — since its inception in 2011. Barring total appearances, all stati ...
References
Further reading
* Aluko, Eniola (2019), ''They Don't Teach This'', Random House,
* Caudwell, Jayne (2013), ''Women's Football in the UK: Continuing with Gender Analyses'', Taylor & Francis,
* Dunn, Carrie (2019), ''Pride of the Lionesses: The Changing Face of Women's Football in England'', Pitch Publishing (Brighton) Limited,
* Dunn, Carrie (2016), ''The Roar of the Lionesses: Women's Football in England'', Pitch Publishing Limited,
* Grainey, Timothy (2012), ''Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women's Soccer'', University of Nebraska Press,
External links
Profileat the Manchester United F.C. website
Profileat the Football Association website
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staniforth, Lucy
1992 births
Living people
Footballers from York
English women's footballers
Notts County L.F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. Ladies players
Liverpool F.C. Women players
Bristol Academy W.F.C. players
Lesbian sportswomen
LGBT association football players
FA Women's National League players
Women's Super League players
England women's under-23 international footballers
Women's association football midfielders
England women's international footballers
Birmingham City W.F.C. players
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Manchester United W.F.C. players
Aston Villa W.F.C. players