Paige Williams (footballer)

Paige Williams
Personal information
Full name Paige Louise Williams
Date of birth (1995-03-10) 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)
* 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)

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.

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

England

  • UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship - Runners Up 2013

Birmingham City

References

  1. ^ "Paige Williams". Soccer Way. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Paige Louise Williams" (in Italian). AGSM Verona. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b Ellis, Adam (1 December 2015). "Everton's Williams gets call to do Italian job". The League Paper. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  4. ^ Lavery, Glenn (12 May 2017). "William's Wembley journey". The FA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b Garry, Tom (15 November 2016). "Paige Williams: Why England youth international chose the Italian dream". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Stonehouse, Gary (1 July 2014). "Paige Williams ready to rock Women's U20 World Cup". The FA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Paige Williams: Birmingham City Ladies sign Verona defender". BBC Sport. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  8. ^ "Paige Williams: Birmingham City full-back leaves after failing to agree to new deal". BBC Sport. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  9. ^ Stonehouse, Gary (1 July 2014). "Paige Williams ready to rock Women's U20 World Cup". The FA. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Ten emerging talents from Women's U19 finals". UEFA. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  11. ^ Lavery, Glenn (2 March 2015). "England U23s lose to USA in final La Manga match". The FA. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  12. ^ "England U23s round off Nordic Tournament with USA win". The FA. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  13. ^ Garry, Tom (4 May 2020). "Paige Williams: Serie A winner swaps WSL for career as firefighter". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  14. ^ a b "From football to fire". LCR Pride Foundation. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  15. ^ Walker, Alice (27 July 2024). "'Unique' event arrives on Pier Head for 'important' reason". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  16. ^ "RADIO CITY TALK – Tuesday 22nd May". Fight Disciples. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Paige Williams: Why England youth international chose the Italian dream - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016.
  18. ^ "Foreign legion offers options for Neville". BBC Sport. 6 February 2018.
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