Beth Mead on cusp of history after Sports Personality of the Year nomination

Beth Mead could become the first female footballer to win Sports Personality of the Year after being nominated for the 2022 award.

Mead enjoyed the season of her life during the 2021/22 campaign, registering 14 goals and 19 assists for Arsenal, before starring for England in their journey to Euro 2022 glory.

The forward contributed six goals and five assists to scoop the golden boot and player of the tournament accolades as the Lionesses got their hands on their first ever piece of silverware.

Mead is on the six person shortlist alongside gymnast Jessica Gadirova - who medalled three times at the world championships in November - Winter Olympic gold medal winning curler Eve Muirhead, cricketer Ben Stokes - who starred in England's T20 World Cup victory and captained the Test side to a famous series win in Pakistan - Ronnie O'Sullivan - who won a record equalling seventh world championship title in May - and 1,500m world champion runner Jake Wightman.

The Arsenal forward - who is currently sidelined with an ACL injury - would become the first footballer to win Sports Personality of the Year since Ryan Giggs claimed the prize in 2009.

Other previous footballers to have won the award are David Beckham, Michael Owen, Paul Gascoigne and Bobby Moore.

No female footballer has ever won Sports Personality of the Year - Lucy Bronze was on the shortlist back in 2015 - but Mead is the current favourite.

Following the victory for US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu last year, should Mead win, it would represent the first back-to-back female winners of Sports Personality of the Year since Princess Anne and Mary Peters won the award back in 1971 and 1972 respectively.

The winner is decided by public vote, with the ceremony taking place on Wednesday 21 December, 18:45 (GMT) on BBC One.