Sunderland Ladies striker Beth Mead has signed a new four-year deal at the club.
The FA WSL 1’s top goalscorer will be under contract at the Black Cats until 2019 after joining as a 16-year-old.
Sunderland have surprised many by spending much of their debut season in the top flight challenging for the title, with Mead scoring 11 league goals so far – five more than any other player in the division.
The 20-year-old scored the Black Cats first WSL 1 goal in a memorable 2-0 win against reigning champions Liverpool and has also bagged a hat-trick against this year’s leaders Chelsea.
Speaking to sunderland.fawsl.com about her new deal, Mead said: “I’m over the moon to have committed my future to Sunderland. The club is heading in the right direction and I’m excited to be part of that.
“This season has been fantastic and I love coming to training every day, I’m really happy that can continue.”
Carlton Fairweather’s side currently sit fourth in the WSL 1, but just a point off Arsenal in third, with two games left to play. The Black Cats manager believes Mead, who has been touted for the England squad, is one of the best young players in the country.
“We’re delighted that Beth has signed a new deal, she is one of the best young players in the country and I hope she can continue to score goals for Sunderland for years to come,” said Fairweather.
“Naturally with a player like Beth there has been interest from other top-flight clubs, so for us to secure this signing shows exactly where we want this club to be.”
