Tuesday could be another milestone day for Whitby, Ont.’s Olivia Smith when England’s Professional Footballers’ Association holds its gala in Manchester to announce its football award winners for the past season.
Smith, 21, is the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year and she was again shortlisted for the award this past June.
Smith is already the only non-English player to ever win the award. A second consecutive honour would put her in rare company. Manchester City midfielder Lauren Hemp is the only consecutive winner, winning the award three-straight years from 2019-2022, and four in total with an earlier win as a member of Bristol City in 2018.
Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United, Liverpool’s Robbie Fowler, Deli Alli of Tottenham Hotspur and City’s Phil Foden are also consecutive winners on the men’s side.
Smith’s win last year followed the completion of her $1.84 million transfer from Liverpool to Arsenal last July, a record transfer for a female player between English clubs.
In Smith’s first season with one of women’s football powerhouse clubs, she played 38 games across all competitions and scored 10 goals, including a memorable long-distance strike in her debut inside Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium that earned Smith player of the match and Women’s Super League Goal of the Month honours.
Smith also scored the opener in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup Final in February when then-UEFA champs Arsenal beat CONMEBOL champions Corinthians 3-2.
Smith’s presence in European soccer has risen rapidly since she turned pro, moving from Penn State to Portugal’s Sporting in 2023.
She has made 23 appearances for Canada’s women’s senior team, scoring four goals, and will be an important piece for Canadian women’s head coach Casey Stoney as the team prepares for the 2026 CONCACAF W Championship, which serves as CONCACAF’s qualification tournament for next summer’s 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
If Canada beats Panama in the competition’s quarter-final in November in Mansfield, TX, Canada will automatically qualify for next summer’s showpiece. If Canada were to lose, it will have one final chance at qualification through an inter-confederation play-offs.
Runners-up to City last season, Arsenal kicks off its 2026-2027 Women’s Super League season on Sept. 6 with a visit to Brighton.
