Natasha Fenton

Last updated
Natasha Fenton
Natasha Fenton Lewes FC Women 1 Blackburn Rovers Women 0 2021-23 (1574246469) (cropped).jpg
Fenton with Blackburn in 2021
Personal information
Full name Natasha Jane Fenton [1]
Date of birth (1998-10-08) 8 October 1998 (age 26) [2]
Place of birth England
Position(s) Holding midfielder
Youth career
Blackpool
Blackburn Rovers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2015–2023 Blackburn Rovers
2023– Sunderland A.F.C.
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Natasha Jane Fenton is an English professional footballer who plays as a holding midfielder for Sunderland A.F.C. She began her career at Blackpool before joining Blackburn Rovers, with whom she made more than 200 appearances, secured back-to-back FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division titles, won promotion to the Women's Championship, and served as the club captain.

Contents

In July 2025, Fenton signed for Sunderland, where she has since become the club's vice-captain. She also studied physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University, qualified as a physiotherapist, and worked in the NHS while continuing her playing career.

Early life and youth career

Fenton moved from Blackpool to join the Blackburn Centre of Excellence at 13 and progressed through their academy before making her senior team debut as a 16-year-old. [3] [4] [5] Fenton attended Baines School in Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire. [6]

Club career

Blackburn

Fenton (rightmost player) with Blackburn in 2021 Natasha Fenton Lewes FC Women 1 Blackburn Rovers Women 0 10 10 2021-97 (51573578541).jpg
Fenton (rightmost player) with Blackburn in 2021

Fenton made her first-team debut for Blackburn in 2015, at the age of 16. [7] [4] [5] She went on to make her hundredth appearance for the club in November 2018, becoming the youngest player to have done so at the time at the age of 20. [3] [8] Fenton became a key player for the club, being named as the players' player of the year for the second consecutive year after the 2019-20 season, [9] and signing her first professional contract in 2020. [10] [11]

Fenton signed a second contract with the club in June 2022. [7] [12] In September 2022, she made her 200th appearance for the club [13] and was named as the club captain and one of three players forming the team's new leadership group. [14] She had been the team's vice-captain for the three seasons prior to that point, [14] having previously been appointed to the role in November 2020. [15]

During Fenton's 11-year tenure at Blackburn, she played every game in the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018–19 seasons, in which Blackburn won the FA Women's National League North title twice consecutively, and played an important role in helping the team secure promotion to the Women's Championship, scoring one of three goals in the play-off final against Coventry United W.F.C. [7] [16] [17]

Sunderland

Fenton joined Sunderland AFC Women in July 2023, moving from Blackburn Rovers after more than a decade with the club. [4] [5] [18] She quickly established herself as a key holding midfielder, known for her defensive contributions, vision, and passing range. [19] [20] During the 2023–24 season, Fenton became vice-captain at the same time that Brianna Westrup became team captain. [21] [19]

In March 2024, she signed a new contract, extending her stay at the club until 2026 amid recognition of her leadership, consistent performances, and positive influence on and off the pitch. [19] [22] [23] At that time, she had played every minute of the Women's Championship fixtures during the campaign and helped the team to keep eight clean sheets. [22] [19]

Fenton earned the Barclays Women's Championship Goal of the Month award for March 2025 after scoring a long-range free-kick against Charlton Athletic W.F.C. [24] [25]

Physiotherapy career

Fenton gained a sports scholarship through playing football while studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University. [26] Fenton graduated with her degree on 15 July 2022. [27] After qualifying as a physiotherapist, she worked within the NHS alongside her football commitments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fenton treated patients affected by the disease, which she described as a difficult, exhausting experience. [28]

References

  1. ↑ "Natasha Jane Fenton player stats | The FA Women's National League". fulltime.thefa.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  2. ↑ Natasha Fenton at Soccerway
  3. 1 2 "100 up for Natasha Fenton". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 5 Nov 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Arrival: Natasha Fenton joins SAFC Women". Sunderland A.F.C. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Barnes, Dan (20 July 2023). "Rovers Women skipper completes Sunderland switch". Lancashire Telegraph . Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Notable Alumni - Baines Alumni". Baines Alumni. Archived from the original on 13 Aug 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025. Natasha Fenton – Footballer, plays for Blackburn Rovers
  7. 1 2 3 "Tash is here to stay". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  8. ↑ Frith, Wilf (5 November 2018). "#FAWNL : Chichester City climb to Southern summit". She Kicks . Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025. Blackburn went 3 points clear of Sunderland with an eighth straight win and seven goals against Nottingham Forest. Saffron Jordan and Lagan Makin both got a couple of goals, while Natasha Fenton celebrated her 100th appearance for Rovers.
  9. ↑ Gregory, Ryan Lee (18 June 2020). "Blackburn Rovers - End of season award winners". WSL Full-Time. Archived from the original on 13 Aug 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Fenton pens first contract". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  11. ↑ Pentland, Daniel (22 July 2020). "Midfielder signs professional terms with Blackburn Rovers". WSL Full-Time. Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "Fenton: Rovers feels like home". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 29 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Fenton set to reach Rovers milestone". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 24 September 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Rovers Ladies name new Leadership Group". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  15. ↑ "'An honour and a privilege'". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 26 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Fenton departs". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Frith, Wilf (18 May 2019). "#FAWNL: Blackburn Rovers Ladies win Championship Play Off". She Kicks . Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  18. ↑ Frith, Wilf (22 July 2023). "Natasha Fenton signs for Sunderland Women after 11 years at Blackburn". She Kicks . Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "2026: Natasha Fenton signs new deal". Sunderland A.F.C. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  20. ↑ Patterson, Charlotte (4 January 2024). "Sunderland Lasses Analysis: 'Formidable' Natasha Fenton". Roker Report . Archived from the original on 14 Aug 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "Brianna Westrup signs new deal". Sunderland A.F.C. Women . 9 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  22. 1 2 Pentland, Daniel (14 March 2024). "Sunderland midfielder Fenton signs new two-year deal". WSL Full-Time. Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  23. ↑ Smith, Phil (15 March 2024). "Mel Reay offers exciting Sunderland update and discusses title challenge". Sunderland Echo . Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  24. ↑ "Natasha Fenton wins Barclays WC Goal of the Month award". Sunderland A.F.C. 17 April 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  25. ↑ Veevers, Nick (17 April 2025). "Barclays Women's Championship March Player, Goal and Manager of the Month winners announced". FA Women's Leagues and Competitions. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  26. ↑ "Record number of student athletes receive sport scholarships". Manchester Metropolitan University . 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 Aug 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025. Natasha Fenton Football BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy
  27. ↑ "Graduation Class of 2020, Friday 15th July 2022" (PDF). Manchester Metropolitan University . p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  28. ↑ "Women's football: The 'juggling act' of NHS work & professional football". BBC Sport . 23 February 2021. Archived from the original on 13 Aug 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.