Lois Joel

Lois Kathleen Joel (born 2 June 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League 2 (WSL 2) club Newcastle United. Born in England, she plays for the Wales national team.

Born in North Finchley, London, Joel played youth football for the academies of Watford, Arsenal and Chelsea. She began her club career at Women's Super League (WSL) club West Ham United, before moving to the WSL 2 to play for London City Lionesses and later Newcastle United.

Having represented England at under-17 and under-19 level, Joel switched allegiance to play for Wales in 2024, qualifying through her grandmother (who was from Barry). She was part of Wales' 26-player squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 in Switzerland, the first ever major senior women's football tournament to feature Wales.

Early life Joel grew up in the London suburb of North Finchley and attended Moss Hall School and St Michael's Catholic Grammar School. She played football in the youth systems of Watford and Arsenal before joining the Chelsea academy and was a member of the team that won the 2016–17 FA WSL Academy League Southern Division title. She was involved in one senior matchday squad, an unused substitute on 2 July 2016 as Chelsea were eliminated by second-tier London Bees on penalties in the first round of the 2016 WSL Cup.

College career In August 2017, Joel enrolled at West Virginia University. She played college soccer for two seasons with the West Virginia Mountaineers, making 33 appearances all as a substitute and scoring one goal and one assist. The Mountaineers won the 2018 Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament and earned berths to the NCAA College Cup both years.

In May 2019, Joel transferred to North Carolina to play for the Tar Heels. She was signed on the recommendation of England youth national team teammates Lotte Wubben-Moy and Alessia Russo who had been with the Tar Heels since 2017. Having played multiple positions with West Virginia, Joel was noted by head coach Anson Dorrance for her pace, fitness and versatility. In her first season with the team, Joel made 25 appearances including eight starts and registered eight assists. The Tar Heels won both the 2019 ACC regular season and 2019 ACC Tournament, and finished runners-up in the 2019 NCAA College Cup final.

Club career West Ham United On 2 October 2020, Joel returned to England amid uncertainty around the US college season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and signed a short-term contract with FA WSL team West Ham United. She signed on non-contract terms in order to preserve her final year of college eligibility. She made her debut on 18 October as a 73rd-minute substitute for Laura Vetterlein in a 4–2 WSL loss to Manchester United. Ahead of the 2021–22 season, Joel signed a one-year contract extension.

Newcastle United

After being released by London City Lionesses at the close of the 2023-24 season, Lois signed for Newcastle United in September 2024. Lois made her debut as a second half substitute against her former club, London City Lionesses gaining an away draw.

International career Youth Joel has represented England at under-17 and under-19 level. She competed at the 2016 UEFA U-17 Championship as England topped the group by winning all three of their group stage games before losing to Germany in the semi-finals. They beat Norway in the third-place playoff, qualifying the team for the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Jordan. Joel made one appearance at the World Cup in a 3–0 quarter-final defeat to eventual winners Japan.

On 18 October 2017, Joel scored her first international goal at under-19 level during a 9–0 win over Kazakhstan in 2018 UEFA Under-19 Championship qualification.

Senior In 2024, Joel was called up to the Wales national team and received her first cap in a 2–0 win against the Republic of Ireland in February 2024. In June 2025, Joel was named in Wales' squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2025, having 9 caps for Cymru.

Career statistics Club

International appearances

As of matches played 3 June 2025. Statistics from the Football Association of Wales

Honours College West Virginia Mountaineers Big 12 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament: 2018

North Carolina Tar Heels Atlantic Coast Conference regular season: 2019 ACC Women's Soccer Tournament: 2019 NCAA Division I College Cup runners-up: 2019