Casey Stoney MBE, Kerys Harrop and Matt Beard inducted into Barclays Women's Super League Hall of Fame

The Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) Hall of Fame today welcomes three new inductees - Casey Stoney MBE and Kerys Harrop, as well as a posthumous induction for the late Matt Beard - in recognition of their individual outstanding contributions to the women’s professional game.

Three stalwarts of women’s football both on and off the pitch during their respective playing and managerial careers, the decision to add them to the league’s iconic roster was made by the Barclays WSL Hall of Fame panel which features former players, coaches, officials, journalists and key figures.

This year Barclays Hall of Fame alumni were given the opportunity to join the panel and have voting capabilities, with Rebecca Welch, Emma Hayes, Steph Houghton, Rachel Yankey, Anita Asante, Katie Chapman, Jill Scott and Alex Scott now involved.

Firstly, a name synonymous with the Barclays WSL and the women’s game, Matt Beard will be inducted posthumously following his passing in September 2025.

Beard’s association with women’s football in England spanned almost two decades, with much of his managerial career taking centre stage in the top flight at the helm of Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham United.

Making history when managing the Blues in the Barclays WSL’s first ever fixture in April 2011, he also won two league titles whilst on Merseyside (2013 and 2014) and led the Hammers to the 2019 Women’s FA Cup Final.

Earning BWSL Manager of the Season accolades in 2013 and 2024 in his two separate spells with Liverpool, Beard brought the curtain down on his time in the Barclays WSL in 2025, with his place in the hearts of all associated with the women’s game well and truly cemented.

A former player of Beard’s will also be inducted in player-turned-manager, Casey Stoney MBE.

Boasting a near 20-year playing career, Stoney was already engrained in the women’s game when the league as it is now known came into being in 2011 courtesy of spells with Chelsea, Arsenal and Charlton Athletic during her formative years.

Featuring in the Barclays WSL for Lincoln, Arsenal and Liverpool thereafter, the defender hung up her boots in 2018 with a plethora of silverware in her locker – two league titles, four FA Cups, five League Cups and three Community Shields.

Destined for a career in management, she became the first ever head coach of Manchester United eight years ago, leading the club to promotion to the top flight in her first season in charge before consolidating their position in the league’s upper echelons.

Now heading up the Canadian women’s national team after a spell at San Diego Wave, Stoney’s impact on the game – particularly during its formative years – was profound, while her position as a trailblazer managerially has ensured that her name is firmly embedded in the history books.

This year’s third and final inductee will be Kerys Harrop – a player who played the entirety of her 12-year career in the Barclays WSL and once held the title of being the division’s record appearance holder.

Spending nine years at the heart of her hometown club Birmingham City’s defence – playing 135 times and scoring 13 goals – she won the FA Cup in 2012 at the age of just 22 and played a pivotal role as the Blues progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2014.

Earning legendary status during her time with the Midlands outfit and establishing herself as one of the game’s pioneers, she departed the club in 2020 and enjoyed three seasons with Tottenham Hotspur before announcing her retirement in the summer of 2023.

Having acquired a first-class degree in Sport Science during her playing career, Harrop is now teaching the next generation within the University of Wolverhampton’s Football Coaching & Performance department, as well as still working within the game as an agent.

All three will be officially inducted into the Barclays WSL Hall of Fame at next month’s WSL Football Awards.