Lioness and Teesside University graduate inspiring sports students
Beth Mead set up a scholarship in her name
Last updated 31st Jul 2025
Teesside University say they have had an increase in students wanting to do sport courses, thanks to graduate Beth Mead.
The Lioness has inspired more women and girls and set up the 'Beth Mead Scholarship' for future football stars.
Will Jones, head of sport at Teesside University, said: "Beth's advocated that and wanted to be involved in that so the scholarship provides a financial contribution for each scholar, there's support from the university and Beth's given a bit of time back to them as well, so the first set of scholars had a really good call with Beth remotely where they were able get some insight from her.
"The scholarship came in 2022, just before the Lionesses went and won the Euros for the first time and Beth obviously had an amazing campaign then. That's been in place for three years now and actually the first set of scholars of that, so female footballer players, have actually just graduated this summer.
"It's quite a nice cycle really that Beth had a great tournament, the scholarship started and then three years later, the graduates have completed their course and Beth and the England team have gone on won the tournament again.
"I think just the fact that we can obviously try and connect them to someone like her just after she'd won Sports Personality of the Year, won the Euros, player of the tournament, the fact they can get a little bit of time with her and ask her any questions and kind of learn from someone who's literally been in their position a few years ago is really, really valuable to them.
Will added: "Since Beth graduated I think the women's game in general has developed so much and has become much more popular, and obviously there's a lot more opportunities for girls in the game now which is fantastic.
"Having someone like Beth having been at the university, it's obviously great in terms of young female football players kind of being inspired seeing people that they can relate to, people that have studied where they have, that have gone on to great success so it's really encouraging in terms of trying to help the next generation of female football players through.
"We've got the scholarship continuing and this victory will just help that even more. We have and continue to offer support to younger age groups so we've delivered as a university the 'FA Centre of Excellence' for female footballers, which is now called the 'Emerging Talent Centre'. We've done that for well over a decade. Beth and others have come through that system."
Applications are open until Freshers' Week, find out more about the Beth Mead Scholarship here.
You can also find out more about their undergraduate and postgraduate courses or everything they offer in sport here.