The 2023 Women’s Football Awards revealed its shortlist today ahead of the flagship ceremony which will take place in London on Thursday 25 May.
Hosted by former Chelsea and England international Eni Aluko and Sky Sports presenter Jamie Carragher, the Women’s Football Awards, sponsored by SHEIN and supported by Klarna, will celebrate the people, brands and organisations who are contributing to the phenomenal growth of the sport.
Lionesses Mary Earps, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson have all been nominated in the highly anticipated Player of the Year category, while Tottenham hero Harry Kane, Liverpool FC captain Jordan Henderson and West Ham star Declan Rice are in the running for Male Football Ally for their work to promote women’s football.
Those advocating the growth of the women’s game will also be recognised as broadcaster Ian Wright, former England women’s manager Phil Neville and leading sports journalist Karen Carney are amongst those who will battle it out to be crowned Women’s Football Champion of the Year.
In the International Football Player of the Year category, Barcelona and England starlet Lucy Bronze will go up against Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir. Chelsea’s Pernille Harder and Bayern Munich’s Georgia Stanway are nominated in the same category.
There will be a battle of the broadcasters for the coveted Journalist of the Year award, with the BBC’s Alex Scott shortlisted alongside Sky Sports’ Laura Woods and CBS Sports anchor Kate Abdo.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea and Arsenal are all vying for Best Club of the Year, while organisations who have gone above and beyond to promote women’s football will also be honoured.
Everton Football Club, Miss Kick Foundation, Inspire Girls Football and Weymouth Women are all shortlisted for Grassroots Initiative of the Year.
Global brands which have shown a major commitment to supporting women’s football including VISA, TGI Friday’s, NIKE, EA Sports, PlayStation, TikTok, Continental Tyres, eBay, EE and Starling Bank are also shortlisted.
The Women’s Football Awards comes ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The event has been backed by England internationals Jess Carter, Nikita Parris and Toni Duggan. Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Reece James and Everton star Conor Coady have given their support for the initiative as have Sky Sports News presenters Pete Graves and Hayley McQueen.
Eni Aluko said:
“The Women’s Football Awards, supported by SHEIN, is a night of real celebration and an important platform to recognise the key players and allies both on and off the pitch who have raised the bar for women’s football.
“This is an incredible shortlist with so many amazing players, brands, media personalities and organisations featured. The public have voted in their thousands and each category will be tightly contested.
“It is a real honour to be presenting these awards.”
Jamie Carragher said:
“The shortlist features some of the best and most outstanding talent in women’s football today. There are some fantastic players on this list who are achieving so much in the sport. It is also great to see male football allies recognised as well as other individuals and organisations who are playing their part to grow women’s football. It is going to be a fantastic event.”
Cui He, Director of Europe for global online fashion and retailer, SHEIN, said:
“The shortlist brings us extremely inspirational talent in female sport. The empowerment of women and girls is a commitment we undertake in every market that we operate in. We are incredibly proud to support the Women’s Football Awards and look forward to celebrating the amazing role models that the platform honours.”
The public are invited to cast their votes on the shortlist at womensfootballawards.com
Full 2023 Women’s Football Awards shortlist:
Player of the Year sponsored by Klarna
- Beth Mead (Arsenal)
- Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
- Alessia Russo (Manchester United)
- Mary Earps (Manchester United)
- Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
- Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
- Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)
- Chloe Kelly (Manchester City)
- Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw (Manchester City)
- Millie Bright (Chelsea)
International Player of the Year sponsored by trivago
- Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
- Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave)
- Keira Walsh (Barcelona)
- Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)
- Wendie Renard (Lyon)
- Marie-Antoinette Kototo (Lyon)
- Lucy Bronze (Barcelona)
- Pernille Harder (Chelsea)
- Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal)
- Caroline Weir (Real Madrid)
Male Football Ally of the Year sponsored by Gaucho
- Declan Rice (West Ham United)
- Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United)
- Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
- Reece James (Chelsea)
- Rob Holding (Arsenal)
- David De Gea (Manchester United)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)
- Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
- Joao Cancelo (Bayern Munich)
Young Football Player of the Year sponsored by XLCR
- Melchie Dumornay (Reims)
- Mary Fowler (Manchester City)
- Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United)
- Jess Park (Everton)
- Missy Bo-Kearns (Liverpool)
- Lauren James (Chelsea)
- Poppy Pattinson (Brighton and Hove Albion)
- Ebony Salmon (Houston Dash)
- Laura Blindkilde-Brown (Aston Villa)
- Asmita Ale (Tottenham Hotspur)
Grassroots Initiative of the Year sponsored by Spector, Constant & Williams
- TGI Fridays – #CelebrateTheGame
- Agility Life Sciences – GIFT Grants
- West Ham United – Player Development Pathway
- Tottenham Hotspur – Female Talent Pathway
- Everton – Grassroots Commitment
- Sunderland Athletic Football Club – For Our Girls
- Miss Kick Foundation – Team Up To Level Up
- Inspire Girls Football – IGF College Programme
- Manchester Laces – Inclusive To All
- Weymouth Women – Grassroots Commitment
Brand of the Year sponsored by KickX
- Starling Bank – Kick on with Starling
- McDonald’s – Fun Football Coaching
- PepsiCo – Women in Football
- Sky Sports – #WhatIf
- MissKick – The Football Clothing Brand for Her
- Adidas – Pitch, Please
- Visa – Team Talks
- Vitality – Women’s FA Cup
- Three Mobile – We See You Network
- Playstation – UEFA Women’s Football
Marketing Campaign of the Year
- DAZN – This Is Elite
- eBay – eBay Dream Transfer
- Nike – Never Seen
- EE – Hope United
- Visa – When More of Us Play, All of Us Win
- Volkswagen – #NotWomensFootball
- TikTok – Euro2022 – #WomenInSports
- Pepsi Max – Get Match Ready
- American Express/ Brighton & Hove Albion – Cheer Booth
- MC & Saatchi – Same City, Same Passion
Women’s Football Champion of the Year sponsored by Social Asking
- Ian Wright
- Tracey Crouch MP
- Karen Carney
- Hope Powell
- Lisa O’Keefe
- Emma Hayes
- Phil Neville
- Paul Barber
- Leah Case + Eve Ralph
- Susan Whelan
Women’s Football Broadcaster or Journalist of the Year
- Alex Scott
- Fara Williams
- Jacqui Oatley
- Faye Carruthers
- Rachel O’Sullivan & Sophie Downey (Girls On The Ball)
- Kate Abdo
- Laura Woods
- Tom Garry
- Kathryn Batte
- Charlotte Harpur
Best Club of the Year sponsored by VISA
- Aston Villa
- Brighton and Hove Albion
- Glasgow Rangers
- Southampton
- Everton
- Manchester United
- Arsenal
- Chelsea
- Leeds United
- Manchester City
Off The Pitch Award sponsored by Standard Chartered
- Sofia Thomas
- Sian Massey-Ellis
- Sam Matterface
- Danetta Powell
- Fern Whelan
- Yvonne Harrison
- Vic Akers
- Dawn Airey
- Rachel Yankey
- Aileen Campbell
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award sponsored by Quooker
- Three Mobile
- Just Eat
- Starling Bank
- Pepsi
- Premier League
- Heineken
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Cinch
- Standard Chartered
Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Award
- Arnold Clark
- Clarke Willmott Solicitors
- Everton Football Club
- Sports Direct
- Barclays
- Euronics
- EA Sports
- Continental
- Walkers / Lays
- Cinch
Football Business of the Year
- IDA Sports
- Brabners
- Mills & Reeve
- Mishcon De Reya
- Evelyn Partners
- Tongue Tied Management
- Triple S Group
- CAA Stellar
- FLOWSPORTS
- Wasserman
Inspirational Role Model of the Year – to be announced at the awards ceremony
SHEIN Lifetime Achievement Award – to be announced at the awards ceremony