This year's WSL Hall of Fame inductees have been announced. Alongside Casey Stoney MBE and Kerys Harrop, there is a posthumous induction for the late Matt Beard - in recognition of their individual outstanding contributions to the women’s professional game. This year Hall of Fame alumni were given the opportunity to join the panel and have voting capabilities, with Rebecca Welch, Emma Hayes, Steph Houghton, Rachel Yankey, Anita Asante, Katie Chapman, Jill Scott and Alex Scott now involved.
Matt Beard died in September and will be forever remembered for his 20 years in the top tier, coaching Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham - including two league titles in separate spells at the Reds. Whilst at Chelsea he coached the first ever WSL match and while this induction focused on the professional game in England, it should also be noted that he also coached the Millwall Lionesses back to the WNL in 2008-09 before moving to Chelsea and also managed Boston Breakers in their last season of NWSL. After Boston, he returned to England and managed West Ham, Bristol City, and Burnley, with his second spell at Liverpool sandwiched in between.
There is no record of him playing competitively, but one of the players he managed, Casey Stoney MBE, was also inducted today. She began her journey playing youth footy for Chelsea before moving to Arsenal for a year, after which she broke through into the first team. In three years at Arsenal, she won the then-top division WPL National twice, as well as three FA Cups, one League Cup, and one WPL Cup. She moved to Charlton Athletic, during which time she was twice runner-up but did win another FA Cup and two more WPL Cups. She also played for Lincoln Ladies (now Notts County) before returning to the club of her youth, Arsenal, and finishing up with Liverpool. As an international, Stoney is a centurion for England and an Olympian for Great Britain. Her third spell at Chelsea was as player-manager for one year, where she also assisted England. She then hung up the clipboard until she hung up her boots and then she picked up her famous jacket and took the reformed Manchester United from the then semi-pro second division, FA Women's Championship into the fully-pro WSL. After that organizationally defining time in Leigh, she moved to San Diego Wave for another three year stint. Her departure from California was abrupt and inhumane, according to an interview she gave to BBC Sport. Irony, and the Canadian W/XNT, came a-calling when she was approached to take over the helm after her countrywoman Bev Priestman was sacked for spying on their World Cup opponents New Zealand. She has yet to win a trophy, but did come runner-up to the US in last year's SheBelieves Cup. The next challenge is the 2026 Concacaf W Championship Quarterfinals in Mansfield, TX.
Lastly, Kerys Harrop (who has been widely reported to also have US citizenship, although we have been unable to verify) set the all-time WSL games-played record in 2023, with 135 games for Birmingham City and just under 50 for Tottenham Hotspur. She won the FA Cup with Birmingham.
