How Beth Mead won Sports Personality of the Year 2022
By Euan Burns
Beth Mead made history once again on Wednesday night as she became the first-ever female footballer to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award thanks to her incredible work for both club and country.
The 27-year-old beat the likes of England cricketer Ben Stokes, former curler Eve Muirhead and snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan, whilst England Women's head coach Sarina Wiegman won Coach of the Year. The England Women were also named as the Team of the Year.
Here is a look at what Mead did to ensure that the public voted for her to be the Sports Personality of the Year for 2022.
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Mead at Euro 2022
The major factor in Mead winning the award is that she was a focal point of the England squad that won Euro 2022 in the summer.
She scored six goals in the tournament, meaning she was the Golden Boot winner and was key when England beat Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley. She was also chosen as UEFA's Player of the Tournament.
It was a historic day for the England team and a large part of why she has been honoured with the award. It was the first major trophy that England Women had ever won, and that is why Sarina Wiegman and the team as a whole were honoured during the awards ceremony.
Mead's impressive Arsenal form
Beth Mead has also been a key player for Arsenal for the entire calendar year which undoubtedly helped her put in such good performances at Euro 2022. Her form was even more impressive considering she was left out of the Team GB squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the 2021/22 season, Mead provided 14 goals and 19 assists in 40 appearances for the Gunners, meaning only Vivianne Miedema provided more attacking output than her.
The 27-year-old's good form continued for Arsenal in the second half of 2022 as she has scored five goals and racked up five assists in the nine games she has played across the WSL and the UEFA Women's Champions League so far. Unfortunately, her form has been cut short by a serious ACL injury that's brought her campaign to a premature end.
It will likely be touch and go as to whether she will be fit for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in the summer.
Mead reacts to SPOTY award
Mead became the 13th individual woman to win the award and she is the sixth football player to win the award in its 68-year history.
After showing some love to her family and her teammates, Mead was quick to put the focus on the mission of bringing women's football and sport closer to the level of popularity and respect that the men's game enjoys.
"I'm incredibly honoured to win this award. I wouldn't have done it without those girls over there and the team that have backed me. Yes, I've got this accolade, I did my job, I scored a few goals but I wouldn't have done it without them," Mead said.
"And I certainly wouldn't have done it without my mum, my dad and all my family.
"But most of all, this is for women's sport, and for women's sport heading in the right direction. So let's keep pushing girls and let's keep doing the right thing."
Fittingly, the award was handed to Mead on the same evening that Arsenal beat FC Zurich 9-1 in their final UWCL group game, ensuring that they made it through to the next round by topping a group that also contained champions Lyon and Serie A Femminile champions Juventus.