KELLY SMITH

Kelly Smith MBE OLY is a footballing legend and trailblazer for the women’s game. With 46 goals in 117 appearances, she is England Lionesses’ second all-time leading goal scorer, despite retiring from her 20-year career eight years ago.

At Arsenal, she scored 125 goals in 144 appearances, helping the club win the quadruple in 2007, scoring 30 goals in the 34 games played across all four competitions.

Now back at Arsenal WFC, Kelly is sharing her technical knowledge with the first team’s attacking players. Alongside her role as Assistant Coach, Kelly is a pundit for Sky Sports, and a proud Barclays ambassador. As part of this role, Kelly is involved in nationwide campaigns like Let Girls Play, which aims to give all girls equal access to football in schools by 2024.

As someone who openly talks about her own struggles with mental health, Kelly is patron of We Mind & Kelly Matters, a charity set up to help people suffering with mental health and to support families affected by suicide.

Author of Kelly Smith – Footballer, she is an inspiration to the current Lionesses, many of whom have cited her as their reason for wanting to play football professionally.