“A special person”
Head of Women’s Football at Arsenal, Clare Wheatley was gushing in her praise of Mead, “Beth is such a special person and will always be welcome at Arsenal.”
Renée Slegers has been equally glowing and last month spoke of Mead and another Arsenal stalwart Katie McCabe, “Of course, my biggest respect to those players” Slegers earnestly explained. “They’ve been at Arsenal for so long. They’ve contributed to the growth of the team, the performances, the results of the team, [to] everything that has been pushed in the club, [and the] bigger picture of women’s football.”
Mead was a massive part of the Arsenal side that drew in fans and broke attendance records in the Emirates era. Her success on the international stage, especially winning the Golden Boot at UEFA EURO 2022 helped bridge the gap from fans of the national team to bums on seats for club sides in women’s football. Rarely has a single player become the embodiment of such a seismic shift in perspective of an entire sport.
Mead won the BBC Sport’s Personality of the Year award in 2022, the first women’s footballer ever to do so. In the same year, she came second in the Ballon D’Or voting, the highest a BWSL player has ever placed in the vote. Wherever she may call home next, she has made an indelible impact on the English game. And come Wednesday night, when Mead will play her last home match for Arsenal against Everton, as the home faithful sing ‘North London Forever’, they will have Mead in mind. The hearts of the fans will brim with gratitude, nostalgia and pride for the ultimate Arsenal number nine.