Faye White

Faye White is considered to be one of the most recognisable and respected players in women’s football after her time spent captaining Arsenal Ladies in the FA Women’s Super League. Faye is also the longest-serving captain of England to this date, overtaking Carol Thomas’s 26-year-old record.

Faye’s love of football began when she was just 10 years of age, joining in the training sessions of her older brothers team. After playing with her brother Faye decided to follow women’s football and joined all-girl coaching session which would later direct her on the path to Arsenal Ladies. Faye’s talent was evident from a young age and she quickly worked her way through the levels until she became a first-team player aged just 14. Two years later, aged just 16 she was called up to the national team.

During the 1996-97 season, Faye was persuaded to join the Arsenal Ladies team and it didn’t take her long to make an impact within the team. She earnt her first international cap in a short period of time with the team against Scotland. In her first year of playing she claimed her first trophy, FA Women’s Premier League trophy. After an impeccable performance in the game during the 1997-98 season, she was named the Premier League Player Of The Year, alongside her team winning both the FA Women’s Cup and the Premier League Cup.

Faye continued to claim success, despite suffering injuries that kept her out of football for brief periods of time. Faye amassed an impressive number of trophies whilst playing with the team, 31 in total. Her team won the FA Women’s Super League in 2011, the FA Women’s Cup nine times, the League Cup six times and the FA Women’s Premier League ten times whilst she played for them. Faye also led the team to a succession of victories whilst she was the captain of the team, including The Quadruple.

As well as playing a club career, Faye also spent time playing football internationally. She made her debut for England internationally aged just 19 playing against Scotland, followed by a full debut against France in 1998. Her first major representation of the country was when she played in the UEFA Euro 2001. In 2002 Faye was given the opportunity to captain the England team, a position which she kept until she retired in 2012. She led the team at the 2005 UEFA Euro, the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the UEFA Euro 2009 and the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In 2012 Faye announced that she was retiring from football due to injury and pregnancy.

After retirement Faye went on to take up commentary, becoming a co-commentator and pundit for channels such as BBC, BT Sport and Sky Sport. She also acted as an ambassador during England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup. With experience both playing and on the sidelines of the game, Faye is the perfect addition to any event to add that true insight into the game with the ability to draw on her personal experiences.