Man City’s Khadijah Shaw leads the WSL Player of the Season shortlist

Manchester City striker Khadijah Shaw has been named in the eight-strong shortlist for the 2025-26 Women’s Super League Football Awards for player of the season.

Shaw, 29, is set to win his third consecutive WSL Golden Boot after scoring 19 times in 21 games, his goals helping City to their first league title since 2016.

She won the Football Writers’ Association Women’s Footballer of the Year award Before May.

Shaw is joined on the list by team-mate Kerstin Kaspariz, who has been involved in 10 goals in defence, as well as Aston Villa’s Kirsty Hanson – the league’s second-highest goalscorer with 12 goals in one match – and Arsenal forward Alessia Russo.

Also on the shortlist are Manchester United midfielder Jess Park, Chelsea striker Alyssa Thompson, Tottenham winger Olivia Holdt and Everton defender Ruby Mays.

Arsenal’s Olivia Smith, who joined the club from Liverpool last summer for a record fee of £1m, leads the nominees for WSL Rising Star. The Canada international scored five goals and registered three assists in 19 games.

Everton’s Ornella Vignola, who scored a hat-trick in the Merseyside derby on her WSL debut, makes the shortlist as does Chelsea’s 20-year-old defender Virle Boorman.

Man United’s Anna Sandberg, Brighton teenager Emily Gay, West Ham forward Leila Wandeler and Aston Villa midfielder Lucia Kendall complete the list of nominees.

Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Fallon Tullis-Joyce (Man United), and Ayaka Yamashita (Man City) are tied on seven clean sheets in the race for the WSL Golden Glove with one game apiece.

Winners in 17 different categories will be confirmed on Monday 18 May, with Casey Stoney, Carys Harrop and Matt Beard being inducted into the WSL Hall of Fame at the ceremony.