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Eartha Pond

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Eartha Pond
With Spurs in April 2017
Personal information
Full name Eartha Sweetie Pond[1]
Date of birth (1983-09-04) 4 September 1983 (age 41)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1995–1999 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2002 Chelsea
2002 Arsenal
2002–2007 Charlton Athletic
2007–2008 Leeds United
2008–2009 Arsenal 7 (0)
2009–2010 Chelsea
2010 Buffalo Flash 11 (4)
2011 Barnet
2011–2012 Birmingham City 3 (0)
2012 Everton 1 (0)
2013 Queens Park Rangers
2014 Reading
2014–2018 Tottenham Hotspur
International career
2023 Saint Lucia 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Eartha Sweetie Pond (born 4 September 1983) is a footballer. Born in England, she plays internationally for Saint Lucia. She previously played club football as a defender for Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Charlton Athletic, Leeds, and Tottenham Hotspur. She is currently the Non-Executive Director on the Football Association's Women's Football Board.

Early life and education

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Pond was raised in Queen's Park, London.[2] At 11 years old, she was scouted by Arsenal F.C. and began playing for them at age 12 in 1995.[2][3]

Club career

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Pond played as a defender for a large variety of football clubs throughout her career.[4] Early in her career she played for Arsenal, Chelsea, and Charlton.[5][6][7] She signed for Charlton from Arsenal in summer 2002,[8] and made the 2003 FA Women's Cup final, in which Charlton were beaten 3–0 by Fulham.[9]

After spending 2007–08 with Leeds United, Pond returned to Arsenal for 2008–09. She was seen as a versatile, left-sided defender who had already overcome two serious knee injuries.[10] She started two of her seven FA Women's Premier League appearances for Arsenal.[11]

Pond was part of Arsenal's 2009 FA Cup winning squad.[12] Pond moved on to Chelsea the following season, and then left England for the only time in her career to join the Buffalo Flash of the United States based W-League.[13] She scored four goals in 11 appearances.[14] The Flash would go on to win the W-League championship at the end of the season, making it two trophies in two years for Pond.[15] She would move on to play with Barnet and Birmingham City during 2011.[16][17] Her 2013 season at Queen's Park Rangers saw her play as a stand-in goalkeeper for injured teammate and score in the same match.[18] On 3 April 2014, Pond was announced as a signing by Reading.[19] Later that year she would join Tottenham Hotspur.[20]

Pond won a quadruple with Tottenham Hotspur, the most notable trophy being the overall winner of the FA Women's Premier League, a promotion playoff that saw Spurs reach the second tier of English women's football for the first time.[21]

Post-playing career

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After her professional football career, Pond took positions as a physical education teacher and held administrative educational roles.[4] In 2019, she petitioned the Government of the United Kingdom to make physical education a core course, alongside subjects like math and English.[22]

She was elected as a local councillor on the Queen's Park Community Council in London in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. She is chair of the council.

She was instrumental in supporting victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.[4][23]

In 2021, Pond assumed the inaugural position of Non-Executive Director on The Football Association's Women’s Football Board.[4][23]

International career

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Pond had youth caps with various England squads, but she did not make her senior international debut until her club career had come to a close. She debuted for Saint Lucia in September 2023, starting games against Cuba and Guadeloupe in Group B of League C of CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup Qualifying. In the latter game, she registered two assists, as Saint Lucia won 5-1.[24] She was included in the squad for Saint Lucia's December games against the same two opponents.

In March 2004 Pond received a 49-day FA ban after she and Carmaine Walker had engaged in a fight with Carly and Gemma Hunt at a national team conditioning session the previous September.[25]

At the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China, Pond captained the Great Britain Universities team to a ninth place finish.[26] That year she declared her ambition to represent Team GB at both handball and football at the 2012 London Olympics.[27]

Honours

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Arsenal

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Buffalo Flash

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Tottenham Hotspur

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References

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  1. ^ "Eesti universiaadikoondis mängib kohtadele" (in Estonian). Põlva FC Lootos. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b Whyatt, Katie (17 November 2018). "Former Spurs Ladies star Eartha Pond on helping Grenfell survivors: 'I live in the area, know people from the tower'". 2023-08-14. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ^ "Raising the game on and off the pitch at Hendon FC – in pictures". the Guardian. 4 August 2022. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Theivam, Kieran (30 July 2021). "Eartha Pond appointed to FA Women's Board as independent non-executive director". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  5. ^ Cocozza, Paula (5 April 2004). "Women's football". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Eartha Pond profile page on Stamford-Bridge.com". stamford-bridge.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  7. ^ "The History Of Chelsea Women". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Eartha Pond". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Fulham Ladies bag Cup". 5 May 2003. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  10. ^ "21. Eartha Pond". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Statistics 2008-2009". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 2 July 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Women in Football - From Grease to girls playing football and a whole lot more - we've got it covered in our #AskEartha Q&A". www.womeninfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Buffalo fields English flair in 2010". USLsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  14. ^ "2010 Statistics". USLsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  15. ^ "Buffalo Flash Win USL W-League Championship". International Soccer Network. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Barnet FC Ladies | The FA Women's National League". fulltime.thefa.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  17. ^ Speck, Ivan (21 December 2011). "Eartha kits! Pond wants to pull on football AND handball shirts at the Olympics". Mail Online. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  18. ^ FC, QPR. "Official website of Queens Park Rangers for the latest news from Loftus Road". QPR FC. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  19. ^ FC, Reading. "WOMEN STRENGTHEN SQUAD". Reading FC. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Spurs Ladies player Eartha Pond shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Spurs Ladies all set for Women's Super League". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  22. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (15 May 2019). "Eartha Pond on swapping Chelsea and Arsenal for sports bra campaign to get girls inspired and into sport". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  23. ^ a b Ayodele, Mayowa (6 August 2021). "Eartha Pond joins FA Women's Football Board". Operation Black Vote. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  24. ^ "A fantastic four for Arnicka Louis as Saint Lucia win at Guadeloupe". Concacaf. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Quartet suspended". theFA.com. 1 March 2004. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  26. ^ "Match Report" (PDF). 2011 Summer Universiade. 17 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  27. ^ Wastell, Kenny (23 December 2011). "London 2012: 10 best of the web". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  28. ^ "Ladies lift Ryman Cup". Spurs Ladies. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  29. ^ Menno, Dustin (8 May 2016). "Tottenham Hotspur Ladies win the double after lifting FA WPL Cup". Cartilage Free Captain. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
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