Paige Williams (footballer)
English footballer (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paige Louise Williams (10 March 1995[2]) is a former English footballer who played as a defender. She previously played in the FA WSL and the Serie A, as well as representing England at youth level. She now works as a firefighter.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paige Louise Williams | ||
| Date of birth | 10 March 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | Everton | 10 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | ACF Brescia | 14 | (5) |
| 2016–2017 | AGSM Verona | 7 | (3) |
| 2017–2019 | Birmingham City | 31 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010 | England U15 | 2 | (1) |
| 2010–2012 | England U17 | 13 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | England U19 | 11 | (2) |
| 2014 | England U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2014 | England U23 | 8 | (1) |
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:40, 20 November 2018 (UTC+1)[1] ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:44, 23 May 2017 (UTC) | |||
Club career
A native of Liverpool, Williams joined the youth programme at Everton at age 14, later signing a professional contract with the club.[3][4] She made her senior debut in 2013 but shortly afterwards suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that required surgery and forced her off the pitch for several months.[5][6] In 2015, following a disappointing season for Everton in the FA WSL 2, Williams made the move to Italian side Brescia.[3]
Following one season at Brescia, in which the club won the Serie A and the Italian Women's Cup, Williams made the move to Verona.[5] In 2017 Williams returned to England, signing with Birmingham City.[7] She left the club in 2019.[8]
International career
Williams has represented England on the under-15, under-17, under-19, under-20, and under-23 national teams.[9] She was considered as one of England's most exciting emerging talents following strong performances at the 2013 UEFA Women's U-19 Championship, in which the team were runners-up.[10] Her ACL injury threatened her chances of playing at the 2014 FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup but she recovered successfully in time to be selected.[6] She went on to play for the U-23 side in several tournaments.[11][12]
After football
Following her departure from Birmingham, Williams experienced what she called "a bit of an identity crisis", working in a supermarket warehouse while contemplating her future in football.[13] After the COVID-19 pandemic caused her to have further doubts, she decided to train as a firefighter.[14] She took part in the 2024 British Firefighter Challenge.[15]
Personal life
Williams identifies as LGBT+ and is active in the Merseyside Fire and Rescue LGBT+ network.[14] She has been in a relationship with MMA fighter Molly McCann.[16]
Honours
Brescia
Everton
- Women's FA Cup runners up: 2013–14[6]
England
- UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship - Runners Up 2013
Birmingham City
- Women's FA Cup: runners up 2016–17
