Khadija Monifa ‘Bunny’ Shaw won the WSL Golden Boot this season (Picture: Getty)
Bunny Shaw scooped Player of the Year at the 2024 Women’s Football Awards, in partnership with Metro, on a ‘special’ Thursday night in London.
Metro teamed up with the Women’s Football Awards for the second straight year as Lionesses duo Mary Earps and Georgia Stanway also walked away with prizes.
England manager Sarina Wiegman, meanwhile, was crowned Manager of the Year at a star-studded event which featured a number of famous faces on the carpet.
Dame Kelly Holmes, Gemma Owen, Katherine Ryan, Lianne Sanderson and Adele Roberts were in attendance as were several male footballers – Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings, Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
It was Shaw who walked away with the top prize, beating Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, after the Jamaica international remarkably scored 21 goals in 18 games for Women’s Super League (WSL) runners-up Manchester City.
Earps and Stanway were named World Cup Hero and International Player of the Year respectively and Lionesses hero Steph Houghton was picked for the Inspirational Role Model Award after her recent retirement from women’s football.
FA Cup winner Earps helped England reach the World Cup final in 2023, securing the Golden Glove with a series of impressive performances, while Stanway has just landed her second German title in a row with Bayern Munich.
Steph Houghton won the Inspirational Role Model award (Picture: Getty Images Europe/KATE GREEN)
Sarina Wiegman led England to the World Cup final last year (Picture: Getty)
‘It is hard to believe that until last year an event of this magnitude, which specifically celebrates the achievements of women in football, did not exist,’ Metro Editor-In-Chief Deborah Arthurs said.
‘The Women’s Football Awards are about shining a light on grassroots greatness as well as the superstar players on the pitch and the inspirational personalities working tirelessly off the football field, too.
‘There is still much more to do to support the growth of women’s football and continue the momentum we’ve seen in recent years. It is something I am passionate about and will continue to push for at Metro.’
Full list of Women’s Football Awards 2024 winners
Unsung Hero Award – sponsored by Southport FC
Winner: Jane Purdon
Inspirational Role Model
Winner: Steph Houghton
World Cup Hero – sponsored by Visa
Winner: Mary Earps MBE
Highly Commended: Aitana Bonmati
Brand of the Year
Winner: Adidas
Highly Commended: Barclays
Best Breakthrough Business
Winner: ScottishPower
Highly Commended: Rept Sports
Marketing Campaign of the Year – sponsored by BioWaveGo
Winner: Venus – MoveYourSkin
Highly Commended: Panini
Women’s Football Broadcaster or Journalist of the Year – sponsored by RWinvest
Winner: Alex Scott MBE
Highly Commended: Kate Abdo
Best Social Media Campaign
Winner: The FA – Lionesses
Highly Commended: Adidas – Play Until They Can’t Look Away
Football Player of the Year – sponsored by Snapdragon
Winner: Bunny Shaw
Highly Commended: Sam Kerr
Football Business of the Year
Joint winners:
EA Sports
Wasserman
Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Award
Winner: Premier League
Highly Commended: Moore Kingston Smith
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award – sponsored by the Premier League
Winner: Tottenham Hotspur – Women’s Football Development Centre
Highly Commended: Standard Chartered & Liverpool FC
Off The Pitch Award – sponsored by Standard Chartered
Winner: Katie Gritt
Highly Commended: Ellie Cross
International Football Player of the Year – sponsored by Linklaters
Winner: Georgia Stanway
Highly Commended: Lucy Bronze
Best Fan Engagement Award – sponsored by TikTok
Winner: Manchester United
Highly Commended: Brighton & Hove Albion & American Express
Grassroots Initiative of the Year – sponsored by Indivisa
Joint winners:
UEFA Playmakers – Disney
McDonald’s – Fun Football
Football Business Trailblazer – sponsored by Women in Football
Winner: Sharon Brittan
Highly Commended: Anna Deignan
Women’s Football Champion of the Year – sponsored by Panini
Winner: Yvonne Harrison
Highly Commended: Fara Williams MBE
Young Football Player of the Year – sponsored by Nutriburst
Winner: Maya Le Tissier
Highly Commended: Laura Blindkilde-Brown
Football Club of the Year
Winner: Chelsea
Highly Commended: Brighton and Hove Albion FC
Manager of Coach of the Year – sponsored by Moore Kingston Smith
Winner: Sarina Wiegman CBE
Highly Commended: Emma Hayes
Metro Women’s Football Ally Award
Winner: Jermaine Jenas
Game Changer Award
Winner: Victoire Cogevina Reynal
Highly Commended: Jill Scott MBE
Lifetime Achievement – sponsored by SHEIN
Winner: Kerry Davis
Elsewhere, England star Maya Le Tissier was crowned Young Player of the Year and pundit Jermaine Jenas scooped the Metro Women’s Football Ally Award.
Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher, who co-hosted the event alongside Eni Aluko, said: ‘The atmosphere in the room tonight was fantastic. The Women’s Football Awards is a special event and the winners are all incredible people.
‘This was a true celebration of the women’s game. I am looking forward to seeing the sport continue to grow at a phenomenal rate and I’ll do what I can to help.’
More Trending
Meanwhile, BBC favourite and former Arsenal and England star Alex Scott picked up the award for Women’s Football Broadcaster or Journalist of the Year.
There were also emotional scenes as Kerry Davis was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Davis was added to the Football Black List in March – which recognises the most influential black people in British football – and is widely viewed as a trailblazer in the sport. She represented Croydon, Liverpool and Napoli while amassing 82 England caps between 1982 and 1998.