Jess Fishlock signs one-year extension with Seattle Reign FC, keeping club original through 2025 season
By Becca Weinberg, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Just a few days after their 2024 NWSL season came to a close with a tight road defeat to the league shield winning Orlando Pride, our Seattle Reign FC announced early Thursday morning that they’ve signed veteran midfielder and club original Jess Fishlock to a one-year contract extension that will keep her in Seattle through 2025.
Head coach Laura Harvey, midfielder and club original Jess Fishlock, and general manager Lesle Gallimore all answered questions from the media during the clubs end of season press conference. (Photos by Jane Gershovich/Seattle Reign FC communications)
For fans, coaches, and players alike, Fishlock represents everything that Seattle Reign FC is. She’s one of the club’s original members, as she signed with the club before its inaugural season in 2013 and has been playing in Seattle since. She is the club’s all-time regular-season assist leader, ranking second all-time in games played, games started, minutes played, and goals for Seattle Reign FC. Last season, she became the third player in NWSL history to play 15,000 regular season minutes. While Fishlock did deal with injuries throughout the course of the season, including an ailment that head coach Laura Harvey described as a “muscular” issue on a designated leg injury, the “Tiny Dragon” continues to be an incredibly valuable driving force and heartbeat of the Reign as long as she’s around the organization.
“I think Jess Fishlock is a legend in this club, and you don’t bring a player like Jess back just for the sake of bringing her back, particularly when we had the season we had. I think what she’s proven for club and country is that she’s still got it. She can play with the best of them. She’s got a brilliant football mind, her body, she knows how to take care of herself to last throughout an international and a club season. And the thing I’ve always been most impressed about Jess with, is that she just knows how to get it done, and what she gives to this club and to the other players.”
Fishlock is also a centerpiece of the Wales National team, where she is the all-time leading goal scorer and just recently became the first Welsh player to earn 150 caps for the national team. She has recorded 46 goals in 156 caps for the country, which lead both men and women all-time. She is a fierce competitor, a force to be reckoned with in the midfield, and a legendary player that the game of soccer is lucky to have. Fishlock continues to keep her playing career rolling at the club and country level, with the latter being of vast importance as Jess played a key role in Wales’ first-round win over Slovakia, as they look to qualify for the 2025 Euro’s. The next step for Wales in their bid to qualify comes when they’ll battle the Republic of Ireland in a two-leg contest that' sees the first match on November 27th and the second on December 3rd in the second round of the qualifying playoffs. Reign teammates Angharad James-Turner and Lily Woodham (Currently on loan with Crystal Palace) are also on the Wales national team alongside Fishlock.
“Jess Fishlock is a legendary player for our club, instrumental in establishing Seattle Reign FC’s presence both in the U.S. and worldwide. With a career spanning over two decades, we’re incredibly fortunate that she has chosen Seattle as her home for most of that time. Her leadership, football intelligence and competitive spirit make her invaluable to our team, and we’re thrilled that she will be extending her career here in 2025.”
Fishlock was named 2021 NWSL Most Valuable Player and has been named to the NWSL Best XI First and Second teams for a combined seven times, which is the second-most selections in NWSL history. She has made 198 regular-season NWSL appearances, ranking fourth out of all players in the league. She is also one of five players in league history to record 40+ goals and 25+ assists.
“This is a great honor for me to be able to extend my career at this club, a club that I have loved for more than a decade now. And not only that, the excitement that I feel deep in my core for what we can now, step forward into with our new ownership is one that I probably can’t really put into words. This is the first time in a long time I feel that we have an organization and an ownership that really will propel us into the future in a really successful way. Obviously, I’ve been here through a lot of ups and downs, and this feels a little different. This feels like we’re really going to take a big step into a positive unknown for us, and we get to shape that in any way that we want. Having an ownership that is aligned in that vision and has the support to push us even further than we’ve ever gone before is probably the most exciting thing. This is a real proud moment for me, and as always, I will continue to to give this club everything I have for as long as I can.”
Fishlock also added in Seattle Reign FC’s end-of-season press conference that her confidence in the club’s current direction excites her for the future. “This is the first time that I feel we have an organization and ownership that will propel us forward. This feels like it’ll take us into a positive unknown. This is a real proud moment for me,” she said in her opening remarks.
With a disappointing end to its 2024 campaign, the club looks to bounce back with its veteran leadership at the helm and a new season on the horizon. Fishlock’s talent and presence is undeniably important as the club strives for success in the years to come.
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Check out our previous Seattle Reign FC articles here.
Check out our previous articles with writing by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.
Cover photo and other photos in this article by Jane Gershovich/Seattle Reign FC communications.
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