Jess Carter facts for kids
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Carter in with Gotham FC in 2025
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jessica Leigh Carter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 October 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Warwick, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender, Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Gotham FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2013 | Warwick Junior | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Birmingham City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2018 | Birmingham City | 67 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2024 | Chelsea | 89 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Gotham FC | 22 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | England U19 | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | England U20 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | England U21 | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | England U23 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | England | 49 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 06:07, 14 June 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:20, 17 July 2025 (UTC) |
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Jessica Leigh Carter (born 27 October 1997) is an English professional footballer. She plays as a defender for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Gotham FC. Jess also plays for the England national team.
She started her senior career at Birmingham City. Jess has played for England's youth teams, from under-19 to under-23. In 2017, she won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. She was also named in the PFA WSL Team of the Year. With Chelsea, she won many WSL titles and FA Cups. With England, Jess won the European Championship and the Finalissima. She was also a World Cup runner-up.
Contents
Early Life and Youth Career
As a young player, Jess Carter was the captain of Warwick Juniors. She led her team to win the County Cup championship. In 2022, a special plaque was put up at the club to honor her. This was part of a campaign called "Where Greatness Is Made."
Club Football Career
Starting at Birmingham City
In June 2013, Jess joined the Birmingham City Academy. She made her first team debut in March 2014. She was only 16 years old. This big game was against Arsenal in the 2013–14 UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final. After the match, she was named the best player.
Playing for Chelsea
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In June 2018, Jess Carter moved to Chelsea. She signed a three-year contract. Her first season (2018–19) was a bit tough. She only started 16 games.
At first, Jess sometimes struggled with being on time for training. She also found it hard to meet fitness goals. Chelsea staff helped her get back on track. They gave her a special diet and a lot of support. Jess has said that her manager, Emma Hayes, helped her a lot.
In January 2020, Jess scored her first goal for Chelsea. It was in a big 6–1 win against Bristol City. In May 2021, she helped Chelsea reach the Champions League final. She took a free-kick that led to a goal, helping Chelsea get ahead. Chelsea lost the final 4–0 to Barcelona. However, Jess finished the 2020–21 season winning three domestic trophies with Chelsea. This is called a domestic treble.
Jess had a great season in 2021–22. She became a key part of Chelsea's defense. She played alongside Millie Bright and Magdalena Eriksson. In October 2022, Jess signed a new contract with Chelsea until 2025. On 23 November 2022, she played her 100th game for the club.
Moving to Gotham FC
On 29 July 2024, NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that Jess Carter had joined their team. She signed a contract until 2026. On 25 May 2025, she started in the 2025 CONCACAF W Champions Cup final. Gotham won the game 1–0 against Tigres. This made them the first-ever winners of this competition.
International Career
Youth Teams
Jess Carter played for several England youth teams. These included the U19, U20, U21, and U23 squads.
In January 2014, she scored a goal in her first game for the England under-19 team. She played as a forward in some U-19 Championship qualification matches. England qualified for the final tournament. In July 2014, she was part of the under-20 squad for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
After playing for the senior team, Jess was part of the under-21 squad as a defender. In April 2019, she played in England's 2–1 win over France.
Senior National Team
In April 2017, Jess was called up to the senior England team for the first time. She had played as a striker in youth teams, but now she was called as a defender. On 28 November 2017, she made her senior international debut. This was in a World Cup qualification game against Kazakhstan. England won 5–0.
In June 2022, Jess was part of the England squad that won the UEFA Women's Euro 2022. She played a total of 16 minutes in the tournament.
In May 2023, Jess was chosen for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad. She started in five of England's six matches. She was a very important part of England's defense. The team only let in three goals before the final. In the final, England lost 1–0 to Spain. Jess was ranked as the second-best player for England in that game.
In June 2025, Jess Carter was named to the squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.
Style of Play
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Experts describe Jess Carter as a calm player who rarely makes mistakes. She is also very good at reading the game. The Independent newspaper called her "one of the best one-on-one defenders" in the Women's Super League.
Early in her career, from 2013 to 2018, Jess played as both a defender and a midfielder for Birmingham City. In 2014, she even played as a forward for England's youth teams. When she joined Chelsea in 2018, she started as a full-back. Later, she became a centre-back. Jess is a right-footed player and can play in many defensive positions. She has played both left-back and right-back for England and Chelsea. However, she prefers to play as part of a back-three defense.
Personal Life
Jess Carter was born in England. Her father is African American, and her mother is British. She has both British and American citizenship. Jess has five siblings: Patrick, Maria, Joe, Amy, and Cam.
Since 2017, Jess has been in a relationship with her teammate Ann-Katrin Berger. They played together at Birmingham City, Chelsea, and now Gotham FC. In May 2024, they announced that they were engaged.
Jess is also a co-founder and ambassador for an all-female football academy. She started this academy with former Barcelona and Arsenal youth player, Judan Ali.
Career Statistics
Jess Carter has played many games for her clubs and for England. She has scored a few goals throughout her career. Football statistics show how many games a player has played and how many goals they have scored.
Honours
Chelsea
- FA Women's Super League: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Women's FA Cup: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
- FA Women's League Cup: 2019–20, 2020–21
- FA Community Shield: 2020
Gotham FC
- CONCACAF W Champions Cup: 2024–25
England
- FIFA Women's World Cup runner-up: 2023
- UEFA Women's Championship: 2022
- Women's Finalissima: 2023
- Arnold Clark Cup: 2022, 2023
Individual Awards
- FA WSL PFA Team of the Year: 2017
- PFA Young Player of the Year: 2016–17
- Freedom of the City of London (announced 1 August 2022)
- PFA Community Champion Award: 2022–23
- Chelsea Women's Player's Player of the Year: 2023–24
- UEFA Women's Champions League Team of the Season: 2023–24
See also
In Spanish: Jess Carter para niños
