Millie Chandarana
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 Chandarana with Blackburn Rovers in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 March 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Burnley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 2016–2019 | Loughborough Foxes | ||
| 2019–2020 | Tavagnacco | 16 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | San Marino | 22 | (0) |
| 2021–2024 | Blackburn Rovers | 57 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | Nottingham Forest | 20 | (4) |
| 2025– | Burnley | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Millie Chandarana (born 11 March 1997) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Burnley. Besides England, she has played in San Marino, the United Arab Emirates, and Italy.[1]
Chandarana was born in Rotherham to a Gujarati Indian father and an English mother.[2][3] She took part in a trial to join her school's all-boys football team at eight years old and was initially told to join a local girls' team instead after scoring in the wrong goal, but started playing for the school team a few months later.[4] She later attended the Manchester United Girls Academy, playing for the club up to under-15 level despite being a Manchester City fan.[5][4]
Club career
Chandarana played for youth teams at Blackburn Rovers before making her debut for the senior team in 2014 at age 17.[6][7] She made a total of 18 appearances for the club before moving on in 2016.[8] While at university in Loughborough she played for both the university team and Loughborough Foxes.[9] She had a spell at Leoni FC in Dubai in 2018 during her university placement year before returning to Loughborough and leading the university's first team to the finals of the National Championship.[4]
Upon graduation, Chandarana had planned to continue her studies in the USA, but instead contacted several football clubs based on a "gut instinct" about her career path, and received an offer from Italian side UPC Tavagnacco.[9] She played for the club as they battled to avoid relegation from Italy's first division Serie A in the 2019-20 season.[10] In 2020 Chandarana transferred to San Marino Academy, also in Serie A.[8]
In 2021, Chandarana returned to Blackburn Rovers, becoming the first British South Asian woman to sign a professional contract with the club, and the only British South Asian woman with a professional deal in the Women's Championship.[7][11][12] She won Blackburn Rovers Goal of the Season for two consecutive seasons and helped the club achieve their highest ever league finish in the 2023-24 season.[13] She also featured in the 2023-24 British South Asians in Football Team of the Season, playing in a celebratory showcase fixture to mark South Asian Heritage Month after the conclusion of the season.[14]
Following criticism of Blackburn Rovers for cutting funding to their women's team, Chandarana transferred to Nottingham Forest in the third division National League, signing a one year contract with the club in 2024.[5][15] In her one season at Forest, Chandarana contributed to the team achieving a league and cup double, and earning promotion to the Championship.[16][17]