Anna Patten
_(cropped).jpg) Patten with Arsenal in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anna Rose Patten | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 1999[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Harpenden, England[1] | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Arsenal | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Florida State Seminoles[3] | 41 | (4) |
| 2019–2020 | South Carolina Gamecocks[2] | 32 | (4) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Arsenal | 8 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Arsenal | 11 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Aston Villa (loan) | 26 | (0) |
| 2023– | Aston Villa | 61 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | England U15 | ||
| 2015–2017 | England U17 | 14 | (3) |
| 2017 | England U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | England U20 | 8 | (1) |
| 2019 | England U21 | 7 | (0) |
| 2024– | Republic of Ireland | 23 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 April 2026 | |||
Anna Rose Patten (born 20 April 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club Aston Villa. Born in England, she plays for the Republic of Ireland national team.
Patten previously played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles and the South Carolina Gamecocks in the United States, and represented England at multiple youth levels from under-15 up to under-21.
Early life
[edit]Patten grew up in Harpenden, England, a commuter town outside London. A childhood Arsenal fan, Patten joined the Arsenal Academy at 12 years of age. With the youth sides she won the FA Youth Cup, in 2015 and 2016. After years of development in the academy ranks, Patten made her senior side debut in 2017 aged 18.
College career
[edit]Florida State Seminoles
[edit]In her freshman year at Florida State, Patten made 18 appearances, including 13 starts. Utilized primarily as a defender and holding midfielder, she tallied two assists during the season.
In her sophomore season she made 12 starts and played in 23 matches. She scored four goals and made two assists. Patten and the Seminoles won the 2018 ACC Women's Championship & the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament.[4]
South Carolina Gamecocks
[edit]Patten transferred to the South Carolina Gamecocks as a rising junior. She joined England U21 teammate Grace Fisk at the university who helped with the transfer process.[5] The pair helped the Gamecocks post 15 shutouts in their first 21 matches of the 2019 season.[5] They helped South Carolina to a 2019 SEC-Soccer Championship. Patten was named the All-SEC second team and made the SEC Academic Honour Roll.
The Southeastern Conference was one of the conferences which opted to play their 2020 NCAA women's soccer tournament in the fall with a reduced 10-game season. Patten was named captain of the side for the fall campaign. She played the second-most minutes of anyone on the team and was named to the All-SEC First Team.[6]
She graduated with a degree in sociology.[7]
Club career
[edit]Arsenal
[edit]Patten made her senior side debut in a Champion's league match against Bayern Munich in February 2017, having gone through Arsenal's academy. She made her league debut in April 2017, during the FA WSL Spring Series. She went on to play every game of that series. Patten then departed Arsenal to play college soccer in the United States. She returned to the club on 7 January 2021.[8]
On 17 January 2021 Patten made her second Arsenal debut against Reading in the FA WSL in a game which would end 1–1, in which she played 45 minutes.[9] On 28 February she came on for her second game this time against Aston Villa where she played the final ten minutes in a game which would end 4–0 to Arsenal. On 19 March Patten came on as a substitute again in the league this time against Manchester United for the final four minutes a game in which Arsenal would win 2–0. Her fourth appearance was also as a substitute this time against North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in game which would finish 3–0 to Arsenal.
On 18 April 2021, Patten scored her first goal for Arsenal in a FA Cup match against Gillingham in a game that would finish 10–0 to Arsenal.[10]
Aston Villa (loan)
[edit]It was announced on 4 January 2022 that Patten had joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season.[11] She returned on loan for the full 2022–23 season.[12]
Aston Villa
[edit]On 11 July 2023, Patten completed a permanent transfer to Aston Villa, signing a three-year contract after having made 33 appearances across all competitions during her time on loan at Aston Villa.[13][14][15] On 16 July 2025, it was announced that she had signed a new contract to extend her time with the club through to June 2028.[16]
International career
[edit]England
[edit]Patten was part of several England youth teams. She made her first appearance on the U-15 team in 2014. Two years later Patten was part of the England 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup which reached the quarterfinals.[4] In 2018 she was part of the England U20 which finished third at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France.
Republic of Ireland
[edit]In March 2024, Patten received her first senior call up to the Republic of Ireland squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying matches against France and England. Patten is eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland through her Irish grandparents.[17] She made her debut for the team during a 1–0 defeat against France on 5 April 2024.[18] She scored her first goal for Ireland in a 3–1 victory against France on 16 July.[19] Patten scored in Ireland's Euro 2025 play-off final 2–1 defeat to Wales on 3 December.[20]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 8 November 2025[21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal | 2017 | Women's Super League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Women's Super League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Women's Super League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Aston Villa (loan) | 2021–22 | Women's Super League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 25 | 1 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2023–24 | Women's Super League | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 27 | 1 | |
| 2024–25 | Women's Super League | 21 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 27 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | Women's Super League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Total | 87 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 2 | — | 96 | 6 | |||
| Career total | 106 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 135 | 7 | ||
- ↑ Includes Women's FA Cup
- ↑ Includes FA Women's League Cup
- ↑ Includes UEFA Women's Champions League
International
[edit]- As of match played 19 April 2026[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 2024 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 3 | |
Youth
[edit]| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England u17 | 2015–2017 | 14 | 3 |
| England u19 | 2017 | 6 | 0 |
| England u20 | 2017–2018 | 8 | 1 |
| England u21 | 2019 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 35 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Patten goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 July 2024 | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork, Ireland |  France |
3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualification |
| 2 | 3 December 2024 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Wales |
1–2 | 1–2 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualification |
| 3 | 8 April 2025 | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin |  Greece |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League |
Honours
[edit]Florida State Seminoles
Arsenal
- Women's FA Cup runner-up: 2020/21
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Anna Patten: England profile". The Football Association. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- 1 2 "Anna Patten – Women's Soccer – University of South Carolina Athletics". University of South Carolina. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ↑ "Anna Patten". Florida State University. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- 1 2 "Anna Patten". Florida State Seminols. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- 1 2 "A'Don't be a melt.' These Brits guide South Carolina soccer with stellar play, lingo". The State. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ↑ "Anna Patten". Gamecocks onlineaccess-date=19 June 2021. 24 June 2019.
- ↑ "Arsenal's Anna Patten on her American adventure, Gunners dream team and life after the WSL". The State. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ↑ "Anna Patten re-signs for Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 7 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ↑ "Arsenal bring back centre-back Anna Patten". 7 January 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ↑ "Anna Patten can reflect on successful campaign back at Arsenal". Islington Gazette. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ↑ "Anna Patten joins Villa Women". 4 January 2022.
- ↑ "Anna Patten joins Aston Villa on loan". Arsenal F.C. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Anna Patten leaves club". Arsenal F.C. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Anna Patten signs permanent deal with Villa Women!". Aston Villa Football Club. 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Anna Patten: Aston Villa sign defender on three-year deal after Arsenal exit". BBC Sport. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ↑ Club, Aston Villa Football (16 July 2025). "Patten pens new contract". Aston Villa Football Club. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ↑ "Anna Patten to represent Republic of Ireland". Aston Villa Football Club. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ↑ "France 1–0 Ireland WNT". Football Association of Ireland. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ↑ "Republic of Ireland vs France: UEFA Women's Championship Qualification". BBC Sport. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ "Wales make first Euros; Scotland miss out again". ESPN.com. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- 1 2 "England – A. Patten – Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
External links
[edit]- Profile at the Football Association website
- Profile Archived 26 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine at the Florida State Seminoles website
- Profile at the South Carolina Gamecocks website
- Anna Patten – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Anna Patten at Soccerway
- 1999 births
- Living people
- English women's footballers
- Women's Super League players
- Arsenal W.F.C. players
- Aston Villa W.F.C. players
- Women's association football defenders
- Florida State Seminoles women's soccer players
- South Carolina Gamecocks women's soccer players
- English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States
- English expatriate women's footballers
- England women's under-21 international footballers
- Republic of Ireland women's international footballers
- People from Harpenden
- Footballers from Hertfordshire
- 21st-century English sportswomen
- 21st-century Irish sportswomen