Arsenal defender Casey Stoney has been awarded an MBE for her services to football in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
The 33-year-old is currently away on international duty, featuring with the Three Lionesses in the Women’s World Cup in Canada, and is no stranger to the international team. Stoney previously captained her country, before Steph Houghton took over in recent months, and also featured for Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics.
With over 100 international caps, Stoney is currently enjoying her second spell with the Gunners having initiated her career at Meadow Park in 1999. She then went on to sign for Charlton Athletic, before spells with Lincoln and Chelsea Ladies – where she also had a brief stint as a player-manager. She has now featured for Pedro Martínez Losa’s side since January 2014, making seven appearances so far this season in the WSL 1.
Off the pitch, Stoney has also worked tirelessly to promote ethics within the sport. In February 2014, Stoney revealed she was gay, and has pushed to remove the negative connotations associated with being homosexual within the sport.
Upon receiving the honour, she said: “I’m really proud. It’s fantastic to get recognised in your field of work. I love football. It has been my life.
“I’m not just proud for me, I’m proud for my family and I’m proud for every single person that’s ever worked with me in my career because without every single one of them I wouldn’t be standing here today receiving an MBE.
“It’s an amazing reward, I don’t think there’s a better reward really. It’s amazing for me and amazing for everybody that helped me on this path to get to where I am.”
