Football Dec 07, 2025

New Year Honours List: Leah Williamson named along with three Lionesses while Liverpool's Andy Robertson and Chris Kamara made MBEs

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
New Year Honours List: Leah Williamson named along with three Lionesses while Liverpool's Andy Robertson and Chris Kamara made MBEs

Four members of the England women's football team which became European champions in the summer have been recognised in the New Year Honours List.

Captain Leah Williamson, who lifted the Women's Euro trophy after a 2-1 victory over Germany at Wembley in July, has been made an OBE while her team-mates Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Ellen White all become MBEs.

England's Dutch head coach Sarina Wiegman was also made a CBE on the Overseas List. She said: "I feel very privileged and humbled to have been given such a prestigious honour and would like to dedicate it to the players, the support team and others within The FA who have worked tirelessly for our shared success.

"As I reflect upon this I would like to thank the fans for the warmth they have shown to me since I joined in 2021, I feel very proud to represent them as England's head coach.

"I would also like to share my congratulations to Leah, Beth, Ellen and Lucy, their recognition is a reflection of a brilliant 12 months for the whole squad and the excellent work they all do on and off of the pitch.

It's been a wonderful year and as we look ahead to 2023 we hope we can continue to make the country proud."

Williamson skippered England to glory on home soil in the summer, while her Arsenal team-mate Mead was the tournament's top scorer and was voted its best player. Earlier this month, Mead was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

White had been a key figure in England's attack for more than a decade until her retirement from the game in August, while Barcelona right-back Bronze is arguably the Lionesses' highest-profile player, having been voted the best player in the world in 2020.

Sir Hugh Robertson, the chairman of the honours sport committee, was asked why more of the Lionesses squad had not been recognised.

"What we've tried to do is stick to the principle of the honours, which is to recognise excellence and to recognise extraordinary contributions," he said.

In addition to the Lionesses quartet, the captains of Wales and Scotland, Sophie Ingle and Kim Little, have been made an OBE and MBE respectively.

Little's Arsenal and Scotland team-mate Jen Beattie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, has also become a MBE for services to football and charity.

"I'm beyond proud," Beattie said. "It's something I never even dreamed of or expected, it's just an incredible feeling."

Beattie says the recognition of her charity work, which includes working with Cancer Research UK, is "definitely the part I'm most proud of".

"Work like that to raise awareness, to encourage people to check themselves, go to GP appointments, that's something that's been most important to me, because it ultimately saved my life, going to get checked."

Former footballer and manager Chris Kamara, who has been best known in recent years as a pundit and presenter on SportNews, is made an MBE for services to football, anti-racism and charity.

Meanwhile, Kamara's former SportNews colleague and former world cruiserweight boxing champion Johnny Nelson has been made an MBE for services to his sport and to young people in his home county of South Yorkshire.

Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber has also been made an OBE, with Scotland and Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson becoming an MBE.

Former Northern Ireland captain Gail Redmond has also been made an MBE. Redmond is currently the women's development manager at the Irish Football Association Foundation.

Denise Lewis, who won heptathlon gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, has been given a damehood while former Northern Ireland, Tottenham and Arsenal goalkeeper Pat Jennings has been made a CBE.

"I'm still totally blown away. I can't even process it," Lewis said. "But I haven't stopped smiling since I heard the news. It's an incredible honour."

The chief executive of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games organising committee Ian Reid has been made a CBE, as has Exeter Chiefs chairman and chief executive Tony Rowe.

Former Saracens player Floyd Steadman, the first black scrum-half and captain of a top-flight English rugby union club, has become an OBE.

Lizzie Deignan, the 2015 world cycling road race champion, becomes an MBE while Geoffrey Newton, lately the vice-chair of the British Paralympic Association, is made an OBE.

England and Leeds Rhinos netball player Jade Clarke becomes an MBE, as does Robert Elstone, a British businessman who held roles with Everton and rugby league's Super League.

Jawahir Roble, who grew up playing football in war-torn Somalia and now lives in London, has also been made an MBE for services to football. She became the first black, female, Muslim, hijab-wearing referee in the UK.

Tags:

football news id:12776836

Share this article

Related Posts

Wales reporter notebook: Can Craig Bellamy's side make history by qualifying for back-to-back World Cups?

Wales reporter notebook: Can Craig Bellamy's side make history by qualifying for back-to-back World Cups?

Four years ago, Wales followed a similar path to the one they are treading now as they qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar via the play-offs. Th...

Harry Maguire: England defender confirms Old Trafford contract talks and opens up about Ruben Amorim tenure

Harry Maguire: England defender confirms Old Trafford contract talks and opens up about Ruben Amorim tenure

Harry Maguire has confirmed talks have taken place with Manchester United over a new deal and adds that whether he stays or leaves Old Trafford will b...

Tottenham: Roberto De Zerbi not expected to take over Premier League club before end of season

Tottenham: Roberto De Zerbi not expected to take over Premier League club before end of season

Roberto De Zerbi is not expected to join Tottenham - or any other club - before the end of the season, according to Sky in Italy.The 46-year-old inten...

Newcastle transfer news: Magpies to target a striker and goalkeeper this summer with eight exits possible

Newcastle transfer news: Magpies to target a striker and goalkeeper this summer with eight exits possible

Newcastle will target a new striker this summer - despite spending £125m on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa last year. Newcastle are also prioritising...

World Cup play-offs: Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland aiming to go a step closer to reaching tournament

World Cup play-offs: Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland aiming to go a step closer to reaching tournament

Your Site assesses Thursday's 2026 World Cup play-off semi-finals as Wales host Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland go to four-time winners Italy and...

Mohamed Salah Q&A: Who made the call for the Liverpool star to leave? What do Liverpool and the player do now and does it affect Arne Slot's future?

Mohamed Salah Q&A: Who made the call for the Liverpool star to leave? What do Liverpool and the player do now and does it affect Arne Slot's future?

Mohamed Salah's shock announcement that he is leaving Liverpool is the big story of the week. But the real question is: what now?The Egyptian forward...