The Netmums Podcast - S16 Ep5: Beth Mead: The Lioness Championing Girls in Sport and Mental Health Awareness

Episode Date: May 27, 2025

This episode of The Netmums Podcast features the inspiring Beth Mead, a trailblazer in women's football and a member of the victorious Lionesses squad from the 2022 Euros. Join Wendy and Alison as they delve into Beth's remarkable football career and journey, discussing her achievements, challenges, and the importance of supporting young girls in sport. The conversation covers: - Beth’s Football Journey: Beth’s early days in football, the support from her family, and her determination to succeed despite facing negativity as a girl in a boys' sport. - Turning 30 and Achievements: Celebrating her recent birthday, Beth discusses her impressive career milestones, including winning the Golden Boot and being named Sports Personality of the Year. - The Importance of Role Models: how visibility and support from role models can encourage more girls to participate in sports. - Mental Health Advocacy: Beth’s personal struggles with grief and injury, and the role of support systems in overcoming challenges. Stay connected with Netmums for more parenting tips, community support, engaging content: Website: netmums.com / Instagram: @netmums  Proudly produced by Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative

You're listening to the Netmums podcast with me, Wendy Gollich, and me, Alison Perry. Coming up on this week's show… My mum and dad were both sporty but football wasn't their forte. My mum was a really good runner and my dad played a lot of cricket or Sunderlea football but wasn't great. Harsh! I know, well, you've got to be honest sometimes, you know. Hello folks, welcome to another episode of the Netmums podcast. Now Alison, Chloe has a new hobby. For those of you who are not regular

listeners everyone Chloe's 13 and is my daughter and it's a hobby that every parent dreads can you guess? Oh my goodness. Go on what do you reckon it is? Okay, your 13 year old has a hobby that everyone dreads. Is it boys? No, it's worse. She's taken up drumming. Oh no, that is the worst. Oh my goodness. She's actually having drumming lessons and wants a drum kit for her birthday. And for your birthday, are you getting earplugs? No, I'm getting an outdoor shed with a soundproof thing. For her or for you? Me, I'm moving in. That's it, I'm done.

Parenting lot, I'm over. I've got them to 13 and 9, I'm done. I love it, I love it. Right, tell us who we have on today's podcast please, Alison. Today's guest is someone who has made football history and she's inspired a whole new generation of girls along the way. Beth Meade was part of the Lionesses squad that brought it home at the Euros in 2022, where she not only helped secure the win, but also took home the Golden Boot and the player of the tournament. Since then she's become one of the most recognisable and respected names in women's football. Off the pitch she's spoken powerfully about grief, about resilience and identity and she's used her platform to advocate for more openness around everything from mental health to periods in sport. Beth, a warm welcome to the Net

Mums podcast. Thank you, thanks for a warm welcome to the Netmums podcast. Thank you. Thanks for a warm welcome. It's lovely to have you. So first, before we ask any questions, have you ever taken up drumming just to drive your mother mad? I was more of a keyboard girl. Oh, at least you've got my headphones with keyboards though, can't you? True, true. I was more annoying when you clicked the DJ button. Do you remember that one? That was more annoying. The demo function. So we have to kick off by saying happy birthday. Congratulations, you turned the grand old age of 30 just a

few days ago. How did you celebrate? I celebrated by training and staying in a hotel room before the game the next day. So a typical life of a footballer. But I did go out with some friends earlier in the week. So that was nice. That's nice. Now lots of people find turning 30 quite hard because they think about all the things that they wanted to achieve in their 20s but haven't. But I'm guessing you haven't had that issue. You've won the Euros, you've got an MBE, Sports Personality of the Year. You've achieved quite a lot, haven't you?

Yeah, I think I'm quite proud of what I've achieved before 30, but there's still a lot of things on the checklist after. Like what? What have you got? I mean, there's some trophies that I would like to win. I'd love to, you know, win an FA Cup or Champions League, which we'll be playing in in two weeks' time. So that one would be great to check off the list. It's been a pretty well-won few years, though, hasn't it? Does it feel like things are starting to settle or is it still full-on? I'd like to say it's settling, but there's always something, which I'm not complaining about. But it would be a lie. Exactly. But no, I'm quite a busy girl but for the right reasons so I can't complain.

Yeah, that's good. Now I read in your book that your parents initially took you along to football classes, age six, because you had so much energy and they needed to tire you out, which frankly as a parent I really relate to that. I've got six-year-old twins and it's like anything I can do to tire them out, I'm on board. Did you receive any negativity back then about being a girl playing a boy's sport? Yes, I did. I received quite a lot. I played in a boys team and I think most weekends I'd turn up parents and young boys on the opposing team were very much laughing and saying, why have you got a girl in your team? And I think as a kid, I didn't

care. I was just playing football. My dad always told me to let my football do the talking. My mum liked to give it back at the parents a few times, but we had to tell her quite quickly, quiet down and let my football do the talking. And by the end of most games, I got a lot of respect from the parents and the boys on the pitch because I had so much talent and I was just as good as they were. So yeah, my dad's advice was pretty good at that point. So whenever it came clear that you were more than just a bit good, how did your parents kind of support you in furthering the hobby, which I won't be doing with the drumming, can we just reiterate, even if she is a bit good?

Yeah, they were great. Obviously I come from a small village in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't so many opportunities back then anyway, but where I was from there was little to zero opportunities. So I had to travel a little bit further afield to Middlesbrough. And my mum worked two jobs basically to pay for the petrol that my dad drove me to training and back for two, three, four times a week.

And obviously they spent a lot of time sat in cars waiting for me to train and traveling backwards and forwards. And I had tournaments on weekends, which were full days out and stuff like that. So I'm very much and feel very lucky that they were able to support me in the way that they could. And my mom obviously working extra jobs to earn extra money to get me there. And it's nice that I've been, I feel very good that I've been able to kind of make it in football that I can kind of repair what they did for me. That's so nice. Now, were they particularly sporty themselves? Like did you, before you started playing football yourself,

were you taken to matches? Was football discussed around the dinner table or did it just come out of nowhere? I'm still trying to figure out where my footballing abilities come from. My mum and dad were both sporty but football wasn't their forte. My mum was a really good runner and my dad played a lot of cricket or Sunderlea football but wasn't great. But I would say I was brought up with a lot of different sports and if I'll be honest sometimes, I did do a lot of sports growing up and I did enjoy a lot of sports and I was quite good at a lot of sports and I had to choose actually between hockey and football when I started getting a little bit more serious and obviously ended up choosing football. I think that was more suited to me and cultural wise in football

I think that more suited me but they were sporty but football wasn't their forte. So we know that teenage girls are dropping out of sport and it sounds like your parents were huge supporters of your sport but who else kind of encouraged you in that passion and who influenced you as a young teen liking and getting good at sport? I mean I was I'm very lucky that I have a very close knit family you know my aunties my uncles took me to a lot of sessions when my parents couldn't my grand and granddad. I think they all wanted the best for me and pushed for me to go into it but I was very lucky along the way that I met kind of the right people at the right times whether it was a coach that wanted

to further me in a team where I developed more and they were willing to put a lot of effort into me. I was not very good at coming away from home. I had a lot of homesickness as a kid and moving up to Sunderland, which was my first women's football team. I could have actually said the Academy, but their coach pushed me to come and try one day session and see how I felt. And I actually loved it once I got there, but it was very much getting out of my comfort zone to get there that I really struggled with. So I had the right people pushing me, but not too much that I was not uncomfortable. So I got quite good ballots from the people that were around me, whether it's family,

coaches on my journey. Did you ever have a wobble, whether it was a homesickness wobble or a confidence wobble in your teens that made you think, maybe this isn't the right thing for me to be doing? I did I had a few England training camps where you had to be away for quite a little bit and I at the time hated it, hated leaving home I'd get picked up by the car from home and cry the whole way to the England camp but I eventually become comfortable and I was able to obviously understand that I can get a chance to go home again and go to my family but I can go and do something I also love doing as well and obviously I live in London now

I live four hours away from where I'm originally from so It's something I've had to get used to over the years, but I've had a lot of tantrums over the years as well I've chucked my football kit in, I've had enough, I'm not doing it anymore but again my mum and dad very much much settled into it and knew how to not molly-coddle me, I think, sometimes, because I think that didn't help me either, so they sometimes had to be tough love to then get me to where I am. So what do you think we can do, what needs to be changed to get more girls taking up sport and more importantly continuing that sport through their teen years? I mean, I think making them feel comfortable, you know, I'm here to do a fun football session and

all the girls are having so much fun, you know, they're in the background having a good time, they feel comfortable, they feel supported. You know, there's world models here for them to look up to, thinking I can be just like them. And even obviously you said earlier in your introduction, I've done a lot of campaigns around women's health and mental health and periods and stuff like that. And if there's different stuff like that we can do to make them feel comfortable on their journey and make it all feel kind and normalised. And we're doing the right thing. And what would you say to a parent whose daughter wants to do something that is still seen as being for boys?

I think it's disrespecting the needs, but also helping them try and choose the right path that's going to suit them. I mean I think that's what my parents did really well for me. They didn't push me too much but they also give me the option of well if you want to go we can take you or this that and the other and I think it's important for the support but not the over pushing because I think that's when it becomes a little bit more uncomfortable. And as kids, you know, you don't always know best, you don't know what's best for you and you need a little bit from your parents, but also don't want to push them in the opposite direction of it being too much. Does it bug you that it's referred to as women's football, whereas men's football is just football? I mean, football's football. It's your latest thing. It doesn't need women or men in front of it. We all do the same thing. We all kick a bag of air around. There's 22 players running

around on a pitch after one ball. We don't do anything differently to them. Like day in, day out, I go to Arsenal. I go to the gym and see the men doing the exact same thing as what I'm doing. We all play football. We all do the same thing. So I don't think there needs to be that label in front of the word football. Have you seen those videos on TikTok of women sharing their acts of micro feminism where they talk about men's football, but when they're talking about what you play, they just say football. It's like, I love it. One should be though. Yeah, just challenging that perception. It's so good. We mentioned the whole period campaign before and you and Leah

Williamson did that amazing campaign. You were brilliantly open about periods and sport. It really spoke to me as the mum of a teen who dances competitively and really struggles with that time of the month when she has a heavy period and feeling embarrassed and anxious about leaks. Tell us though about why you decided to keep the Arsenal shorts white when you were given the option to change the colour. Yeah so I mean I think it was a little bit we wanted to stick to Arsenal roots but also all the girls were very comfortable to agree to that like the good thing was we got given the opportunity to change it but we as players and staff and the club very much normalised having periods and worst case scenario if it happens, it happens.

You know, there's half the population that it happens to. So we very much tried to normalise that and said, you know what, if it happens, we change our shorts and we get on with it. I love that. It's so good. See, you've been through and you've talked about the tough time you've had in the last few years with losing your mum and then going through injury at the same time. How did you find that strength to keep going when everything felt so heavy? I mean, don't get me wrong, I had tough days. I had days where I didn't feel as good, whether it be physically or emotionally. Again, I keep saying it, but I'm very lucky with the support system that I have around me. My family are incredible and I think they always felt, obviously when

my mum passed away, that I had a family away from home, you know, my Arsenal family. I have a lot of good close friends, I have a lot of girls that look out for me and staff members that look out for me. They would rally around me if I was having a tough day, if I was in the gym, obviously I was out of my ACL. They'd get around me, try and make me laugh, try and give me a little bit of energy to go out and do what I needed to for the day and I think that was really important for me and my personality I am quite bubbly and I get on with it and I'm very laid back but them days when the girls realised I need that little bit of extra energy they always got around me and were pretty amazing at that.

And you've been such a brilliant advocate for mental health. What have you learned in the last few years about taking care of your own mental well-being? And what has really helped you on those tough days that you've just mentioned? I mean, you have an injury, you look after it, you rehab it. It's the exact same for your mental health. You look after yourself, you rehab it in any way that you feel is best for you. And I think that was important to understand it's okay to feel the way you're feeling, but what can you do to make yourself even feel better or try and work to help yourself grow a little bit differently. And I think accepting that that's okay and other people also feel like that. You're not the only person in the world that may feel

these feelings and that's okay. And we can figure like that you're not the only person in the world that may feel these feelings and that's okay and we can figure out how we can deal with that. So you've talked about your dog Miley and how she's helped your mental health and I've got a ridiculous three-legged golden retriever called Hector who definitely helps everybody's mental health by being such an idiot at all times but do you think pets can teach children about emotional support and how to get through tough days and that kind of thing? I think so. I think, you know, you have a tough day, no matter what has happened in your life. Like I come home and I've lost a game and I'm raging for the hate losing.

I come home, my dog doesn't care. She's just so happy to see me. And it just takes it all away and puts perspective. Like she's been waiting at home thinking I'm never going to come back again and I've walked through that door and it's the best thing ever. And she's so happy. I actually call her Wigglebum because she just wiggles her whole body. She only has a little tail so she wiggles her full body instead of her tail. And for me and my partner, Viv, she's been the best thing ever that we ever did. You know, we hummed and hummed for so long, but the joy she brings us, the silly moments, the... sometimes when they're naughty and you kind of want to laugh,

but you want to also kill them at the same time, they just bring so much joy and they don't care about anything except walks, love and getting fed. Sticks. Simple like sticks. Well, more obsessed with balls. Sausages, cheese. Literally.

All I said was I never ever wanted a big hairy or stinky dog. What have I got? Yeah, well it doesn't matter. But you do actually. Yeah, exactly. They're the best thing ever and I would recommend anyone who loves animals to be able to do that. They're very much very good for the mental health. That's by prescription. Excellent. Dr Mead says get a dog. You just mentioned coming home after losing and raging

and it just it reminded me of I was watching Stacey Solomon on her stories today talking about how she went to the BAFTAs. Did you see this? She went to the BAFTAs yesterday and the TV program that she does, Sort Your Life Out, didn't win. And it was so refreshing because she was talking about how pissed off she is. She's really angry. She's really gutted.

And hearing you saying that you come home raging after losing, it made me think, do you think that we need to be more open and honest about how we feel when we lose and not be so gracious about it all the time? I think so. I think it's human instinct. She's not going to be happy she's just not winning an award. I'm not going to be happy we've lost, you know? Like it's, perspective is a funny thing. It's not the end of the world, but it's also you're allowed to be annoyed and emotional and feel the way you feel about things. And that's okay. Like if I sat there and say, obviously sport personality of the year, there's a lot of amazing people that could have won that award. Obviously I was lucky enough to win, but if I hadn't have won, I'd have

been annoyed. I would have beaten up sex. I wanted to win it. But also that's okay to say that not because you're a sore loser, because you really wanted to win it. And I think that's the difference that we sometimes judge people for their emotions. Yeah. Yeah. Now, as you've said, you're involved with McDonald's fun football campaign. I have signed up my six year old twins for this. They're going to some sessions at Crystal Palace in July. And for everyone else who might not know about this, tell us more about it and why you got involved.

So I got involved because I'm one. I love obviously being part of football. I love being a part of being able to bring, you know, young boys and girls into football. I think the events that I've been a part of, it's really inclusive. Anyone of any ability can come here, have fun, feel included, feel comfortable in their own skin, be whoever they want to be and be able to kick football around with some other cool kids and some possible idols. So what McDonald's One Football is doing

is creating a lot of chances for free for a lot of young boys and girls all over the country. And since we won the Euros, it's been a 60% increase in young girls getting involved in football. And we obviously are very, very proud of that, but we want to keep pushing that further. And obviously we want to make it inclusive and this one for every single person that comes along. So far so good, but there's a lot more to be done.

It's funny actually using about the increase in zeros. My teenager has come to see Arsenal play, I say Arsenal, not women's Arsenal, just arsenal, because that is who you are. She's come to see you with her dad several times since then. And it has just turned into this lovely dad, daughter outing. And, you know, they come home and they say the atmosphere, you know, at the Emirates is incredible. And it's just, they see all these other families out. Like you guys have just facilitated and created these special family moments. It's just so incredible. So do you think that's what the crux of it is?

Do you think that's what it's about getting kids to feel truly welcomed and for it to feel inclusive? Is it just about getting them over the threshold to see how fun it is, or is there more to it than that? It's a very complex sport, but... I think you've got to get them to see the good side of it, and as they're growing up, they'll learn the other sides of it as well. Don't get me wrong, I love playing, I love doing my job, but now the game becomes bigger, it comes with a lot of different opinions,

and people are very welcome to their opinions, but it's always not the nicest thing. So there's a lot of things that come and go with football, but that's unfortunately part and parcel of the game. But as long as you as an individual love what you're doing. And I feel very lucky that I get to wake up every day and play football as my job. And as kids get older, they'll learn the good and the bad of football. And I think that comes with everything in life is always good and bad with things. So this is how we navigate ourselves around it.

But I think that's any sport as well, isn't it? Not just football. No, no, no. Well, Beth, thank you so much for chatting to us today. It has been wonderful to chat. Yeah. Thank you for joining us on the Netmoms podcast. Thanks for having me. Don't forget, you can get in touch with us on all social channels, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, just type in NETMUMS and you'll find us. And if you liked what you've heard today we'd love for you to give us a five star rating, press the follow button

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