'A legacy' at 26 - how Hemp has grown at Man City

WHAT HAPPENED
Lauren Hemp reached 200 appearances for Manchester City last weekend, marking the milestone by winning player of the match as City opened their Women's Super League title defence with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City. Her eight-year spell at the club, after arriving from Bristol City in 2018, has produced six major trophies.

Manager Andree Jeglertz praised her influence at the club and highlighted her ongoing importance to the team.

KEY CONTEXT
- Hemp is only the fourth player in Manchester City's history to hit 200 appearances, joining Steph Houghton, Keira Walsh and Demi Stokes in that group.
- During her time at City she has become a regular England international and a key figure in the Lionesses’ recent success, contributing to back-to-back European titles.
- Individual honours have accumulated: she won a fourth Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year award in 2022, has been selected in the PFA Team of the Year three times, and earned an MBE in 2024.
- In 2024 she also agreed a three-year contract extension with City.

WHY IT MATTERS
Hemp’s numbers underline her impact. She has scored 74 goals in 200 City appearances and is one of the club’s leading scorers of the professional era, behind only Khadija Shaw. Statistically she has created more chances from open play than any other player in WSL history and sits second in the league’s all-time assist rankings. Those contributions helped City complete a domestic double last season (WSL title and Women’s FA Cup), and sustain both club and international success.

Managerial comments in the source frame her influence beyond raw figures: Jeglertz pointed to her consistent enjoyment and work ethic in training as an example for younger players and suggested she already has an enduring impact at the club.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- City are in the midst of defending their WSL crown; Hemp’s form and availability will be central to that campaign.
- With a three-year extension signed in 2024 and still aged 26, she is in position to add substantially to her appearance, goal and assist totals for City.
- Monitor her creative and attacking metrics (chance creation, entries into the final third and touches inside the opposition box), the same areas highlighted in her recent match versus Birmingham.

KEY FACTS
- Hemp joined Manchester City from Bristol City in 2018.
- She made her 200th City appearance in the opening WSL match of the season, earning player of the match in a 3-1 win over Birmingham.
- 74 goals in 200 appearances for City.
- Created more chances from open play than any player in WSL history; second in the WSL’s all-time assist chart.
- Won a fourth PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2022 and has been in the PFA Team of the Year three times; awarded an MBE in 2024.
- Signed a three-year contract extension with Manchester City in 2024.