Emma Lawton
Scottish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emma Louise Lawton (born 26 July 2001) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a right back for Celtic of the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL), and for the Scotland women's national team. Her previous clubs include Partick Thistle (two spells) and Motherwell.
|
Lawton lining up for Scotland, 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emma Louise Lawton | ||
| Date of birth | 26 July 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Wishaw, Scotland | ||
| Position | Right back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Celtic | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Celtic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Partick Thistle | ||
| 2020–2022 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Motherwell | 23 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Partick Thistle | 35 | (5) |
| 2024– | Celtic | 43 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023–2024 | Scotland U23 | 5 | (0) |
| 2025– | Scotland | 12 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Raised in East Kilbride,[1] Lawton played for Celtic as a youth player but joined Partick Thistle aged 15, immediately participating at senior level albeit in the SWFL First Division South (the regionalised amateur third tier); she helped Partick gain promotion to the Scottish Women's Premier League-2 in 2018.[2] In late 2019 she joined Manchester City, although only featured for the English club's development side in a spell which was also interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2022, Lawton returned to Scotland and signed for SWPL-1 team Motherwell,[3] where she spent one season before re-joining Partick Thistle, now also members of the top tier.[4][2] During the 2023–24 season, Partick reached their first major final – losing 4–1 to Rangers in the SWPL Cup[5] – and finished in the league's top six, with Lawton named in the PFA Scotland SWPL Team of the Year[6] and as the club's Player of the Year.[7] She agreed a new contract with Partick and began the following campaign with the Jags, but joined Celtic on a full-time contract on 12 September 2024 (transfer deadline day) along with Motherwell's Morgan Cross.[8][1][9] She quickly impressed with performances in the SWPL and the UEFA Women's Champions League.[10]
International career
Lawton was selected for the Scotland under-23 team, which plays only friendly matches, in 2023 and 2024.[11]
She received her first call-up to the senior Scotland squad in February 2025,[12] making her debut as a starter in a 1–0 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League defeat away to Austria,[13] and scoring her first international goal four days later in a 2–1 loss to the Netherlands at Hampden Park.[14]
Personal life
Lawton has studied and trained as a sports coach, achieving a BA in Football Coaching and Management from the UCFB in 2022, and holding a UEFA B licence by 2024.[10]