Roarsome lioness! SPOTY winner Beth Mead pulled pints to pay for her first football boots

Lioness Beth Mead was last night named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for her remarkable contribution to British women’s football – and a triumphant Euros win.

The 27-year-old was rewarded for her contribution to the Women’s European Championships. She paved the way for the Lionesses’ first ever international trophy with six goals in six games.

Beth was up against England cricketer Ben Stokes, snooker world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and Olympic curling gold medallist Eve Muirhead for the accolade – though her win came as little surprise to bookies.    

She is the sixth footballer to have been crowned Sports Personality of the Year in the award’s 68-year history, following in the footsteps of Bobby Moore, Paul Gascoigne, Michael Owen, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. 

England Lioness Beth Mead, 27, was crowned BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year last night

Beth is the first woman on this list of legends. 

‘They are not bad people to be alongside, are they?’ Beth said on Tuesday. ‘I would take that. I think I would die happy if I went alongside them.’

She added that SPOTY wasn’t something she ever thought she would be in the running for, saying: ‘It’s a little bit surreal to be alongside some of those people. I watched Eve Muirhead in a lot of the Olympics when I was younger. 

‘She captivated me and made me watch curling. She would have got my vote.’

Lioness Beth Mead was last night named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for her remarkable contribution to British women’s football – and a triumphant Euros win

Beth (pictured playing for her childhood team) took up football at the age of six

The 27-year-old was rewarded for her contribution to the Women’s European Championships. She paved the way for the Lionesses’ first ever international trophy with six goals in six games

Beth Mead and girlfriend Vivianne Miedema appear on the red carpet on crutches after both suffering from a anterior cruciate ligament injuries sustained on the pitch

But who is Beth Mead – and how did she rise to sporting stardom?

Beth grew up in Hinderwell, a village between Saltburn and Whitby in North Yorkshire, which she has previously described as being in ‘literally the middle of nowhere’.

Her love for sport was clear from a very young age, with TeesideLive reporting she began playing football with her small village’s boys team at just six years old. 

Beth – who has a younger brother called Ben – says her parents June and Richard encouraged her to get into the sport to ‘get rid of some extra energy’.

Her father previously told ITV News that Beth began playing in a local club with boys – and despite the coach’s fears that they could be ‘very rough’, the proud parent says Beth ‘kicked bits out of them’. 

She quickly moved on to the Middlesbrough Girls’ Centre of Excellence – prompting her parents to pick up extra shifts at work to cover the cost of petrol for the 45-minute drive they were making several times a week. 

Beth pictured with her mother June and younger brother Ben on an undated family holiday

Beth grew up in Hinderwell, a village between Saltburn and Whitby in North Yorkshire

Beth later described her parents as ‘big people who have influenced my footballing career’. By the age of 16 Beth was signed to Sunderland – where she scored 77 goals in 78 games.

Alongside her training, Beth also picked up shifts in the local Fox and Hounds pub in Staithes near Whitby.

Speaking to ITV News in July, Beth’s former employer Irene Ward recalled: ‘Customers liked her. She was easy to get along with. She was absolutely dedicated to her football, that was all she lived for.’

What’s more, the pub landlord explained how Beth used her pay cheque to further her career.

She added: ‘I remember when she bought her first football boots, and she was absolutely thrilled because they were £100.’

Beth added: ‘I used to work Friday, Saturday. Sunday was double time behind the bar. I was a waitress part time just to afford the boots. I enjoyed working there and I got my boots in the end.’

Now, she is part of the Arsenal Women’s team – with her partner Vivianne Miedema (above)

Beth confirmed her relationship with the Dutch striker after the Euros this summer, joking that they are the David and Victoria Beckham of women’s football – and ‘the lesbian world’

Beth was handed her first full England cap in 2015, when she was studying at Teesside University. She made her first senior appearance with England in April 2018. 

Paying tribute to her family in her acceptance speech, Beth said: ‘I certainly wouldn’t have done this without my dad, my mum and all my family. Most of all this is for women’s sport and for women’s sport heading in the right direction. Let’s keep pushing girls and doing the right things.’ 

Now, she is part of the Arsenal Women’s team – with her partner Vivianne Miedema.

Beth confirmed her relationship with the Dutch striker after the Euros this summer, joking that they are the David and Victoria Beckham of women’s football – and ‘the lesbian world’.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Beth explained how she struggled with her sexuality as a teenager. 

She said: ‘When I was growing up, where I came from, there weren’t many people I knew that were openly gay or bisexual.

‘My parents, at the time, maybe struggled in the beginning and it was something that was hard for me to say.’

However, the star says she never publicly confirmed her sexuality and instead started posting photos of Vivianne on social media. 

‘It’s a tough process,’ she said. ‘It is emotionally and physically draining, and I get all aspects for people, but for me, you can’t help who you fall in love with and if you are happy at the end of the day.’

It was Beth’s contribution to the Lionesses’ Euros win that shot the Women’s Super League forward to stardom, and likely secured her the prestigious award

Beth Mead is pictured with her partner, 26-year-old Dutch footballer Vivianne Miedema

Vivianne attended the SPOTY show in Salford with Beth on Wednesday night.

It was Beth’s contribution to the Lionesses’ Euros win that shot the Women’s Super League forward to stardom, and likely secured her the prestigious award. 

She scored an impressive six times in six games, including securing the deciding goal in England’s opening game of the tournament against Austria. 

Beth then scored thrice in the Lionesses’ 8-0 win over Norway – and again against Northern Ireland.

The forward was named player of the tournament for her efforts, and Beth has since described how her life has changed. In her book, Lioness: My Journey to Glory, she talks about going on holiday with Vivianne after her first TV appearance post-Euros.

While 2022 will likely go down as one of the best years of Beth’s life, it has not been without struggles

Her mother, June, has been in and out of hospital as she continues to battle cancer

‘Walking through the town square each evening, English tourists kept stopping me’, Beth wrote. ‘One night, a restaurant owner interrupted us to say that a family who had just left had paid for our meal.’

What’s more, Beth opens up about being recognised in the street following the Lionesses’ win in her book. The forward was doing a photoshoot outside the Emirates when a dustbin wagon pulled over and its driver began chanting: ‘Meado! Meado!’ 

Speaking to The Times earlier this year, Beth said it’s been a struggle to adapt to the fame that has followed the landmark win.

She said: ‘After the final I did a press conference and they said, “Trailblazer, iconic, blah, blah, blah,” and to me, I’m still Beth Mead. I’m my mum’s daughter, do you know? That’s me.’

But while 2022 will likely go down as one of the best years of Beth’s life, it has not been without struggles. 

Her mother, June, has been in and out of hospital as she continues to battle cancer. In November, Beth ruptured her ACL, putting her World Cup hopes in doubt. Her partner and Arsenal team-mate Miedema suffered the same injury just weeks later.

Beth confirmed she had resigned to Arsenal football club earlier this year

 It was announced last week that Beth – who suffered her injury in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United on November 19 – had signed a new contract with Arsenal

An ACL – or anterior cruciate ligament – injury affects one of the key ligaments that help stabilise the knee joint. It is one of the most common types of knee injuries and can take several months to recover fully from. 

It was announced last week that Beth – who suffered her injury in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United on November 19 – had signed a new contract with Arsenal. 

‘I’m so happy to have signed a new deal with Arsenal,’ Mead said. ’This club is home for me – I’ve grown so much here as a player and a person and I know we can achieve so much more together in the years to come.

‘I want to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and I know that the ambitions at Arsenal match my own, so I can’t wait to get back onto the pitch and help to deliver the success our supporters deserve.’ 

The future is surely bright for the footballer, who won SPOTY a year after another young female sports star – teenage US Open champion Emma Raducanu.