Rachel Williams (footballer)

Rachel Louise Williams (born 10 January 1988) is an English international women's footballer playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the FA WSL. Before rejoining Birmingham City in May 2017, Williams spent 2 years at Notts County Ladies, one year at Chelsea Ladies and three years at her first spell at Birmingham City, where she was converted from an attacking midfielder to a striker. Williams made her senior England debut in July 2009 but had to wait two years for her next appearance, missing out on selection for Women's Euro 2009 and the 2011 Women's World Cup. She was selected in the Great Britain squad for the 2012 London Olympics.

Rachel Williams
Personal information
Full name Rachel Louise Williams[1]
Date of birth (1988-01-10) 10 January 1988[2]
Place of birth Leicester, England
Height 1.69 m (5.5 ft)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder /
Forward
Club information
Current team
 Tottenham Hotspur
Number 10
Youth career
Linden Old Girls
Leicester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2008 Leicester City
2008–2010 Doncaster Rovers Belles
2010 Leicester City
2011–2013 Birmingham City 38 (21)
2014 Chelsea 8 (2)
2015–2017 Notts County Ladies 28 (9)
2017–2020 Birmingham City 30 (5)
2020- Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
National team‡
2010–2011 England U23
2009– England 13 (4)
2012– Great Britain 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:25, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:25, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

Club career

Williams joined Leicester City Women as a twelve–year–old, progressing through their centre of excellence to play in their senior side.[3] She was vice–captain as the side won the County League in 2005.[4] and the following season was a member of the side that again won the County League, but also the County Cup.[5] In the 2006–07 season, Williams was a member of the Leicester side that won the treble of the East Midlands Women's Premier League title, the County Cup and the League Cup and promotion to the Midlands Combination League.[6] The following season she was part of the Leicester team that won promotion to the FA Women's Premier League Northern Division.

Williams (centre) at Doncaster in August 2011

She left Leicester at the end of the 2007–08 season to join Doncaster Rovers Belles.[3] She was the FA Premier League player of the month for October 2008,[3] and was a member of the Doncaster side that lost to Arsenal Ladies in the 2009 FA Women's Premier League Cup final.[7] She ended her first season with Doncaster as the club's Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year.[3]

Williams netted on the opening day of the 2009–10 season as Doncaster drew 1–1 at home to Blackburn Rovers Ladies.[8] In October 2009 she scored against former club Leicester City Women as Doncaster progressed in the Premier League Cup.[9]

With Doncaster not playing until the FA WSL in March 2011, Williams re–signed for Leicester City in summer 2010.[10] In December 2010, Williams was revealed to have signed for Birmingham City's FA WSL squad.[11] After converting to a striker, Williams made an impressive start to the new season with Birmingham, scoring five goals in her first two WSL appearances[12] and winning a recall to the England squad.[13]

Williams hit 14 goals in 14 games as Birmingham missed out on the WSL title on the final day. She was also voted 2011 Players' Player of the Year at The FA Women's Football Awards.[14] She scored an injury time equaliser against Chelsea Ladies in the 2012 FA Women's Cup Final, which Birmingham eventually won after a penalty shootout.[15]

In October 2013 Birmingham announced that Williams had departed the club "by mutual consent".[16] A transfer to Chelsea was made public on 6 November 2013.[17] She scored seven goals in 13 games across all competitions for Chelsea, who finished second in the 2014 FA WSL. In January 2015 she transferred to Notts County Ladies in her native Midlands.[18] Following the closure of Notts County Ladies before the 2017 Spring Series, Williams re-signed to Birmingham City in May 2017.[19]

International career

England

Williams scored on her England Under–19 debut, whilst still an Under–17 player, against Switzerland in 2005.[4] Later that year she was selected as part of the England squad for the UEFA Women's Under–19 Championship.[4]

In May 2009, Williams was one of the first 17 female players to be given central contracts by the Football Association.[20] At the time she was the only uncapped player to be awarded a contract.[21] Her debut for the England senior side came in July 2009 when she came on as a substitute for Alex Scott in the 2–0 defeat at home to Iceland.[22] She missed out on a place in the Women's Euro 2009 Squad, but was picked by head coach Hope Powell for England's squad to face Malta in the first qualifying game for the 2011 Women's World Cup.[23] Despite excellent form at club level, Williams was overlooked for the 2011 World Cup squad.[24]

Williams collected her second cap, more than two years after her first, when she replaced Natasha Dowie during half–time of a 2–2 Euro 2013 qualifying draw in Serbia. She scored her first international goal in the next qualifier against Slovenia, a 4–0 win at Swindon's County Ground in September 2011.[25] In June 2013 Williams was left out of Powell's squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013.

International goals
Scores and results list England's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentResultCompetitionScored
122 September 2011County Ground, Swindon Slovenia4–02013 UEFA Women's Championship Qual.1
231 March 2012Sajmište, Vrbovec Croatia6–02013 UEFA Championship Qual.1
321 June 2012Ob Jezeru, Velenje Slovenia4–0UEFA Euro 2013 Qual.1
48 March 2013GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus Scotland4–42013 Cyprus Cup1

Great Britain Olympic

In June 2012 Williams was named in the 18–player Great Britain squad for the 2012 London Olympics.[26]

Personal life

Williams also works as a plasterer.[21]

References
  1. "Player Statistics". FIFA. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  2. "BBC Sport – London 2012 Olympics – Rachel Williams : Great Britain & N. Ireland, Football". 13 August 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  3. "Rachel Williams (first team)". Doncaster Rovers Belles. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  4. "Women are the Champions". Leicester City F.C. 21 April 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  5. "Women grab silverware". Leicester City F.C. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  6. "LCFC Women finish in style". Leicester City F.C. 23 May 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  7. Glenn Lavery (26 February 2009). "Arsenal life the cup". The Football Association. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  8. Tony Leighton (16 August 2009). "Promoted duo start with victories". BBC News. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  9. "Doncaster Belles too strong for Leicester City Women in Cup". Leicester Mercury. 5 October 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  10. "New Leicester boss strengthening squad". Women's Soccer Scene. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  11. "Exciting Blues news!". She Kicks. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  12. Tony Leighton (20 April 2011). "Birmingham crush Liverpool to lead Women's Super League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  13. "Williams delight at hat-trick". TheFA.com. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  14. "Rachel carries off top award". Women's Soccer Scene. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  15. Nisbet, John (27 May 2012). "Shoot-out has unhappy ending for Chelsea Ladies". The Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  16. "Carney commits". Birmingham City Ladies. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  17. "Rachel Williams joins Chelsea". She Kicks. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  18. "Rachel Williams: Chelsea Ladies forward joins Notts County". British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  19. "Birmingham City Ladies: England forward Rachel Williams re-signs for WSL 1 club". BBC. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  20. "England Women awarded contracts". BBC Sport. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  21. Tony Leighton (14 May 2009). "FA boosts England's women's team with central contracts". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  22. "England women 0–2 Iceland women". BBC Sport. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  23. "Women's squad named for Malta Qualifier". The Football Association. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  24. Hossack, Steve (27 July 2011). "Rachel should have been on World Cup stage". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  25. "POTY: Rachel Williams". The Football Association. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  26. "Team GB women's squad for London 2012 announced". BBC Sport. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
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