Bay FC defender Jen Beattie is retiring from professional soccer, the NWSL club announced on Tuesday morning.
A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Beattie’s decorated 18-year career has spanned four countries, includes 14 trophies and stints at some of the world’s top clubs, and comes to a close after one season with Bay FC. Beattie joined the Bay Area club in February 2024 after a transfer from Arsenal and appeared in 11 games during the 2024 season.
“I’m very, very grateful for everything I’ve been able to do through football,” Beattie said in the team’s news release. “When I look back at my career, my favorite thing of all is how fun it was. I’ve loved every second of it, even all the hard stuff. I would do it all again, all the injuries, the day to day, the big games. I feel so lucky to have made friends for life off the back of it as well. I’ve met really good people, and worked with great coaches and awesome clubs.”
“I’d like to thank the fans at Bay FC – you made me feel welcome from the beginning, and I’m proud that I’ll always be able to say I was there at the start of what I hope is going to be an incredible force in women’s club soccer.”
With her retirement from the game, Beattie, who signed a two-year contract upon her arrival, will not count against Bay FC’s salary cap in 2025, Bay FC confirmed to the Bay Area News Group. Beattie’s contract also had an option for the 2026 season.
In November, Beattie won the NWSL’s 2024 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, honoring her work in the community supporting and promoting breast cancer awareness and patient support. Beattie was one of 14 nominees for the prestigious honor – one from each NWSL club – and designated a donation of $35,000 to Bay Area-based non-profit Pink Ribbon Good and $5,000 to Cancer Research UK.
Beattie is a survivor of Stage 1 breast cancer, a disease she beat while playing for Arsenal in 2020.
“On and off the pitch, Jen was a tremendous representative of our club and the Bay Area,” Bay FC Sporting Director Matt Potter said. “As a seasoned veteran, Jen provided leadership and experience needed during our inaugural season and quickly made an impact in the Bay Area with her community work. She will always be a part of Bay FC’s story, and we wish her nothing the best in the future.”
Though Beattie did not play in the majority of Bay FC’s matches last season, she was a key team leader brought in to shepherd the club’s younger players and bring experience to a brand-new side with a strong need for steady veterans.
“We’ve tried to do it in the most natural way, not force it,” Beattie told the Bay Area News Group in July. “We’ve done really well bringing in good characters and personalities with a lot of experience, and (it) feels like such a good melting pot of cultures. It’s been awesome letting people be themselves and then figuring out what our culture looks like beyond that.”
Beattie broke into the professional game at age 15 when she joined Scottish side Queens Park Women. Her contributions quickly helped the squad to success, reaching the final of the Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup in November 2007.
She changed clubs the following year, joining Celtic FC, where she remained until 2009 when she moved to Arsenal for her first of two stints with the North London club. Beattie tallied 11 goals in 43 appearances with the Gunners through 2013, helping her squad to four FA Women’s Super League titles, two FA Cups, and the Women’s League Cup in 2012.
“It’s been a really cool experience for me, because I’ve never gone through it before,” Beattie said of joining Bay FC. “An expansion team was a brand-new process. I’m used to long-standing clubs and being the newbie, and everyone else has been there for however many years. So it’s been such an interesting project in the best possible ways. It’s had its difficult moments, but that’s what pro sport and elite environments are about.”
Beattie moved to French Division 1 Féminine side Montpellier HSC in 2013, spending two years with the club before winning six trophies between 2015 and 2019 with Manchester City and Australian outfit Melbourne City on loan. She returned to Arsenal in 2019, tallying 127 appearances and winning another Women’s League Cup before her transfer to Bay FC in February 2024.
On the international stage, Beattie represented Scotland throughout her youth and professional career. After making her senior debut at 16, she registered 142 caps and 24 goals for her country.
Beattie helped Scotland qualify for the 2017 UEFA Women’s European Championships – then the team’s first major tournament appearance – and represented Scotland in its tournament debut at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring in a 3-3 draw with Argentina. She announced her retirement from international football in 2023.