Lioness - My Journey to Glory: Winner of the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year

Product Information

Spend an inspirational evening with one of the world’s most talented footballers, England Lioness Beth Mead, as she shares her remarkable journey from Hinderwell, North Yorkshire to historic glory at the Women’s Euros in summer 2022.

I so appreciate Beth's vulnerability and honesty sharing her struggles and I think they will help a lot of people. It’s not glory and fame every moment of every day. You don’t know what is going on in other people’s lives, what challenges they have overcome, or are keeping hidden. I cried twice when Beth wrote about her mother. Since the publication of this book June Mead has sadly passed away ( “If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.” 💔) . It is clear the mutual love and devotion Beth and her mum shared for each other. It was an honour to read about that relationship. Mead talks about the role her family played in her football career in the book and also discusses it in a special episode of The Athletic’s Women’s Football Podcast (Photo: Serena Taylor/The FA via Getty Images) I’m not 100% sure whether Beth actually wrote all of it or if she had help from a ghostwriter, but either way, it was very well-written and engaging. It opens with a prologue detailing the disappointment of not making it to the 2020 Olympics, and then moves on to tell us her whole football journey from childhood to the 2022 Euros. If, like me, you followed last summer's European Championships, you would have shared in the euphoria and pride at our Lionesses winning the trophy after a hard-fought final versus Germany.

Winner of the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year

Filled with positive lessons and an exclusive account of England's triumphant Euros campaign, Beth offers readers of all ages a heartfelt, behind-the-scenes look into her remarkable journey to glory. Empowering, honest, and with the opportunity to ask your own questions, don’t miss the chance to hear her incredible story live from the Lioness herself.

From being placed in the local boys' team as a child because her mum wanted her to run off her boundless energy, to joining Middlesbrough FC's Centre of Excellence and making her professional debut at Sunderland, Beth and women's football have come a long way. Beth will also share the challenges that shaped her, what she faced on the journey to the top, and the life events that made her stronger. Featuring positive life lessons and an exclusive behind-the-scenes account of the England’s Euros campaign, Beth offers audiences of all ages the tools to be confident, brave, and resilient. With foreword by Ian Wright and afterword by Jermain Defoe, the debut memoir from Euros champion Beth Mead is an empowering, inspirational story about a woman's struggle and success in an industry historically dominated by men. Instinctively, Beth understood that crucial storytelling technique of “show, don’t tell”: don’t tell me thatSarina Wiegman is the best manager you have ever played under or that Lucy Bronze pushed you to reach the next level, but how and why. Her anecdotes from throughout the tournament bring us into that summer with a new intimacy.In this book she fully embraces all her life struggles. She doesn’t hide from them, openly talking about her mental health, the anger and depression, the hopes and joys she feels. It’s really refreshing to see a public figure so honest about both the highs and lows they experience in their life. I never really know how to rate autobiographies as they are someone’s real life, so this will remain unrated for now, but this was such a great read.