Bianca Baptiste

Last updated

Bianca Baptiste
Bianca Baptiste (sq cropped).jpg
Playing for Watford in 2024
Personal information
Full name Bianca Lorenz-Baptiste
Date of birth (1992-01-15) 15 January 1992 (age 32)
Height 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) [1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Watford
Number 8
Youth career
Arsenal
Enfield Town
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2008–2009 Enfield Town
Leyton Orient
Q.P.R.
2010–2019 Tottenham Hotspur 130 (59)
2019–2022 Crystal Palace 44 (12)
2022– Watford 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:53, 6 February 2022 (UTC)

Bianca Lorenz-Baptiste (born 15 January 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Watford FC. She was the top scorer for Tottenham Hotspur in 2017.

Contents

Club career

Baptiste was born in England in 1992. [2] Her family have links to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. [3] She played in the youth system of Arsenal and moved up from the Enfield Town under-16s into their first team for the 2008–09 season. [4]

She is an attacker. [2] She played for ten years with Tottenham Hotspur as a semi-professional until the team decided to go fully professional. The team had done well and in 2017 Baptiste was their top goal scorer when they won the 2016–17 FA Women's Premier League Southern Division title. [5] She also scored two goals in the 3–0 Championship play-off win over Northern Champions Blackburn Rovers, which secured promotion to FA WSL 2. [6]

Baptiste at Crystal Palace in 2021 Bianca Baptiste Crystal Palace Women Conti Cup 13 10 2021.jpg
Baptiste at Crystal Palace in 2021

Tottenham were promoted again when they finished second behind Manchester United in the 2018–19 FA Women's Championship. The management team decided to not include Baptiste in the players they made professional for entry to the top division. [5] Seven new players were announced for the team in July 2019. [7] Only about half the team was retained and eleven players had to find a new role, including Sarah Wiltshire and Emma Beckett, who was a recent signing. [7] Baptiste felt rejected and considered leaving the game, [5] she was labelled "Spurs Ladies Nutrition Coach and Personal Trainer" and that appeared to be her new role in the team. [7] She did get some support and she was able to find a new home at another London team – Crystal Palace. [5]

During the 2020–21 season she appeared 25 times for Crystal Palace, scoring 14 goals for the club. [8] In a match against Bristol City she scored two goals, but Bristol replied with four and went on to win the championship. [9]

In January 2022 she was brought on as a substitute for Leigh Nicol during a match with Lewes when her team were losing. She was credited with reviving her team's game leading to a 3–1 victory over Lewes. The manager noted her goal and her contribution after a pass from Molly Sharpe. [10] In the following month, they played London Bees and Baptiste either scored or assisted all of her team's five goals. [11]

Baptiste moved early in July 2022 to Watford Women FC to join them for their 2022/2023 season. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women</span> Football club

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Women, commonly referred to as Tottenham or Spurs, is an English women's football club affiliated with Tottenham Hotspur. The club currently plays in the Women's Super League (WSL), the top flight of women's football in England. The club gained promotion for the WSL after finishing second in the 2018–19 FA Women's Championship.

Molly Bartrip is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club Tottenham Hotspur.

The 2018–19 FA Women's Championship was the first rebranded edition of the FA Women's Championship, the second tier of women's football in England, renamed from the FA WSL 2 which was founded in 2014. The season ran from 8 September 2018 to 12 May 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 FA WSL</span> Ninth season of the top English womens association football league

The 2019–20 FA WSL season was the ninth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010. It was the second season after the rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football and the twelve teams contesting the season was the greatest number in the league's history to date, following a steady increase from the original eight. It is the first under the new Barclays title sponsorship following a landmark multi-million pound investment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rianna Dean</span> English association football player

Rianna Dean is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Southampton in the FA Women's Championship.

The 2019–20 FA Women's Championship was the second season of the rebranded FA Women's Championship, the second tier of women's football in England. It was renamed from the FA WSL 2 which was founded in 2014. The season began on 18 August 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashleigh Neville</span> English football defender

Ashleigh Neville is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for Women's Super League club Tottenham Hotspur.

The 2019–20 West Ham United F.C. Women season was the club's 29th season in existence and their second in the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

The 2019–20 Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. season was the club's 29th season in existence and their second in the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

The 2019–20 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women season was the club's 35th season in existence but only their first as a professional team having been promoted to the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid, at the end of the 2018–19 season. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

The 2019–20 Reading F.C. Women season was the club's 13th season and their fourth in the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Addison</span> English association football player

Angela Addison is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Charlton Athletic playing in England's FA Women's Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molly Pike</span> English footballer

Molly Pike is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Southampton of the FA Women's Championship. Pike spent her youth years at Chelsea and has captained the England U19 team.

The 2020–21 Bristol City W.F.C. season was the club's fifth season under the Bristol City affiliation and the organisation's 22nd overall season in existence. It was their fourth consecutive full season in the FA Women's Super League following promotion to the 2017 Spring Season. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also competed in two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

The 2020–21 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women season was the club's 36th season in existence and their second in the FA Women's Super League, the highest level of the football pyramid. Along with competing in the WSL, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

The 2020–21 London City Lionesses F.C. season was the club's second season in existence. The team competed in the FA Women's Championship, the second level of the women's football pyramid, as well as two domestic cup competitions: the FA Cup and the League Cup.

The 2020–21 Women's FA Cup was the 51st staging of the Women's FA Cup, a knockout cup competition for women's football teams in England. Manchester City were the defending champions, having beaten Everton 3–1 in the previous final. The draw was split regionally until the fourth round proper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Clinton</span> English footballer

Grace Clinton is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Women's Super League (WSL) club Tottenham Hotspur, on loan from Manchester United, and the England national team. Clinton started her senior career at Everton, followed by Bristol City on loan where she won the 2022–23 Championship title.

The 2021 FA Women's League Cup final was the 10th final of the FA Women's League Cup, England's secondary cup competition for women's football teams and its primary league cup tournament. It took place on 14 March 2021 at Vicarage Road, and was contested by Bristol City and Chelsea.

Katie Startup is an English professional football goalkeeper for FA Women's Super League club Brighton and Hove Albion.

References

  1. "Bianca Baptiste". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 "England - B. Baptiste - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  3. English links offer Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hope in times of distress, 1922, FIFA
  4. "Ladies confident ahead of new season". Enfield Independent. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2022. Baptiste is one of half a dozen very good players who have stepped up to the first team squad from last season's under-16s.
  5. 1 2 3 4 George-Miller, Dustin (2 November 2019). "Bianca Baptiste: being cut by Spurs Women nearly made me leave football". Cartilage Free Captain. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  6. "Tottenham Ladies 3-0 Blackburn Ladies: WSL beckons for Spurs after play-off win". BBC Sport. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 George-Miller, Dustin (5 July 2019). "Tottenham Hotspur Women announce seven new signings in first fully professional squad". Cartilage Free Captain. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  8. "Bianca Baptiste - Unknown | Women". Crystal Palace F.C. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  9. "Crystal Palace 2-4 Bristol City". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  10. "Crystal Palace come from behind to beat Lewes". www.sussexexpress.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  11. "FA Women's Championship: Crystal Palace 5-0 London Bees". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  12. "Women: Bianca Baptiste Signs". www.watfordfc.com. Retrieved 1 July 2022.