by Skipper Leah Williamson is among England’s four Euro 2022 winners included in the New Year Honors list.
Beth Mead, Ellen White and Lucy Bronze are the other honorees after the triumph in July that gave the Lionesses the first major trophy in their history, and the first for an England senior team since their success in the 1966 Men’s World Cup Dutch team coach Sarina Wiegman has been named CBE in the overseas list.
Arsenal defender Williamson lifted the trophy following Wiegman’s side’s 2-1 extra-time win over Germany at Wembley Stadium, attended by a crowd of 87,192 – a record for any European match, women’s or men’s.
The 25-year-old becomes an OBE, while the other trio were made MBEs.
Williamson told englandfootball.com: “It has been an honor to be part of an incredible group of athletes and women and share with them the successes of 2022. To stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us to inspire the millions who will follow.” .
Gunners teammate Mead, 27, was named player of the tournament at the European Championships and won the Golden Boot, having scored six goals and provided five assists. The striker then finished runners-up in the Ballon d’Or in October and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year last week.
Forward White, England women’s all-time top scorer, scored twice during the tournament to take her tally for the side to 52.
His appearance in the final, his 113th cap, was the last of his illustrious career, with the 33-year-old former Manchester City player, who also played for Great Britain at two Olympics, announcing his retirement in August.
The Barcelona right-back Bronze, 31, scored in a 4-0 semi-final win against Sweden at the European Championships, his fourth major tournament with the Lionesses.
She recently won her 100th cap for England in a career which included being named FIFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2020.
Football Association chairman Debbie Hewitt said: “I would like to congratulate Sarina, Leah, Beth, Ellen and Lucy on behalf of everyone at the FA. We are delighted that their services to football have been recognized in this way.
“They all played pivotal roles on and off the pitch in a historic year for women’s football and their recognition is well deserved.
“These individual accolades are a positive reflection of the entire squad and support team and as this memorable year draws to a close, I would like to express my thanks and pay tribute to them all.”
Asked why not all of England’s squad were honored following their European Championship triumph, Sir Hugh Robertson, chairman of the sporting honors committee, said: ‘The approach we’ve tried to take with this is that when we have these events there is a danger in kind of carpet bombing the whole team because then you get people who have done five minutes on the court and you get an award.
“So what we’ve tried to do is stick to the principle of honors which is to recognize excellence and recognize outstanding contributions.”
Other women’s players honored are Wales captain Sophie Ingle, who becomes an OBE, and Scottish duo Kim Little and Jen Beattie, both MBEs.
Chelsea midfielder Ingle is another player with over 100 international caps and was part of the Great Britain squad at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 alongside Williamson, White and Bronze.
Ingle said: “I am truly honored to receive this. It is a huge honor not only for me but also for my family and everyone involved in the Welsh women’s team who have worked tirelessly to help the platform be where it is today.”
Little was also in that GB squad, joining White in making it to a second Olympics nine years after competing in the London Games. The Arsenal midfielder has scored 59 goals in 140 appearances for Scotland.
Beattie, another Arsenal player, who played 143 times for Scotland, scoring 24 goals, was awarded for services to association football and charity.
The defender last year recovered from the breast cancer he was diagnosed with in October 2020.
She received the Helen Rollason BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2021 after speaking publicly about her experiences and encouraging people to get checked out.
