Stephanie Bannon

Bannon grew up in Whitley Bay playing football and was spotted by a Sunderland foundation coach, who asked her to sign for the club at the age of nine.^[1] Bannon subsequently successfully attended trials to enter Sunderland's Centre of Excellence (now known as Sunderland A.F.C. Women's Academy).^[1] From 7 to 13 years old, Bannon also played for Blyth Town F.C.^[1] After playing for Sunderland's reserve team for three years,^[1] she joined Sunderland A.F.C. Women's first team (then Sunderland A.F.C. Ladies) in 2002, when she was 14 years old,^[2][3][4] before going on to make her first team debut aged 15.^[5]

At the age of 18, Bannon was named club captain, a role she would go on to hold for over a decade^[6] until her retirement in 2017.^[3][4][7] She led the team to a historic appearance in the 2009 FA Women's Cup final against Arsenal W.F.C., which remains Sunderland's first and only appearance in the final of the Women's FA Cup to date.^[4][7][8] Sunderland had defeated Chelsea F.C. Women 3–0 at the Stadium of Light in the semi-final before facing the dominant Arsenal side at Pride Park Stadium.^[9][10][11]

Bannon captained Sunderland as they won three consecutive FA Women's Premier League National Division titles in 2010–11, 2011–12, and 2012–13.^[3][7][12] Thereafter, she guided the club to promotion to the FA Women's Super League (WSL) by winning the inaugural Women's Super League 2 title in 2014.^[13] During this period, Bannon was also named the WPL 2012–13 Player of the Year^[3][4][7] and Sunderland's 2012–13 joint player of the year with top scorer Beth Mead.^[14]

Over her career, Bannon made 211 recorded appearances for Sunderland.^[15] As of 2025^[update], this makes Bannon one of only two players who have reached 200 appearances for Sunderland's women team, along with former teammate Keira Ramshaw.^[16][17]

After a 15-year playing career, at 28 years old, Bannon announced her retirement in June 2017 to concentrate on her career as a physical education (PE) teacher and to spend more time with family and friends.^[3][13][7] She balanced semi-professional football with her teaching duties at Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough throughout much of her career.^[12][18][19] Bannon has said that working as a teacher alongside playing football hindered both pursuits and left her exhausted and with no free time to relax or spend with those close to her.^[20][4][21]

In 2023, Sunderland inducted Bannon into their Hall of Fame, celebrating her 17-year association with the club, over 200 appearances, and her distinction as the only player to captain the women's team in an FA Cup final.^[8] Bannon is widely regarded as a "legend" of Sunderland's women team, known for her leadership, longevity, and loyalty to the club.^[3][13][4] Kevin Ball, a former captain of Sunderland's men's team, described Bannon as his female equivalent.^[22] Her generation of players created opportunities for future full-time professional players, including former teammate Beth Mead, who Bannon also helped to mentor as she transitioned to first-team football at Sunderland.^[5][23][24]