Throughout 2025/26, we’ll be speaking to former West Ham United women’s team players who made a huge impact on and off the pitch during their time in Claret and Blue. Today, we’re talking to Stacey Little...
It’s the night before West Ham United women’s team’s cup encounter at Preston North End in 2015. The Hammers are in their hotel preparing for the game and captain Stacey Little is running up and down the corridors. Why? Because she was trying to prove to her manager, Julian Dicks, that she was able to run normally. Why? Because in the week leading up to the fixture, Little broke her wrist, but insisted on playing against Preston and got the physio to remove her cast, to her manager’s displeasure.
Did Little play? Of course she did - all 90 minutes, tucking and rolling every time she hit the turf so she did no further damage to her wrist. That was the type of character the defensive midfielder was. A lifelong Hammer, who would do anything for the Club she loves.
Brought into the West Ham family by her Dad and Grandad, Little, who grew up in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, only knew football, as she’d go and watch her father play every Saturday and Sunday. After playing at grassroots level, she soon found herself a club, QPR, before hearing about an opportunity at Charlton Athletic in 2007.
Little didn’t back herself as much as she should have done, struggling with confidence when she was finding her feet in football, so when she joined the M25 on her journey from Slough to south-east London for her trial at Charlton, she took the first exit back home.
She eventually attended a trial at the Addicks and their manager, Paul Mortimer, signed her there and then. Playing for Charlton gave Little a grounding as she played against the likes of Arsenal, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Liverpool, Everton and Leeds United, and faced players such as Kelly Smith, Alex Scott, Jill Scott, Sue Smith, Fara WIlliams, Karen Carney and Rachel Yankey.
After spending three seasons at Charlton, an opportunity arose at her childhood club and Little took the chance with both hands, signing for West Ham in the summer of 2010 after another successful trial. Two years after winning Player of the Season in her first campaign at the Club, she was appointed captain by then manager Julia Setford and led us to Essex FA County Cup glory in 2014, scoring our final goal in a 5-1 success over Barking.
Little departed the Club in October 2015 before later hanging up her boots. But her love for the game proved too strong and she soon came out of retirement. She currently plays for East Thurrock, as well as managing her boys’ grassroots team, and her Hammers-supporting children know their Mum captained the club they love.
Here is her West Ham story...