Jenna Dear

Jenna Dear
Dear with Watford in 2015
Personal information
Full name Jenna May Dear
Date of birth (1996-05-29) 29 May 1996 (age 30)
Place of birth Hayes, England
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ipswich Town
Number 23
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–15 Chelsea 2 (0)
2015 → Watford (loan) 7 (1)
2016–2017 Everton 8 (0)
2017–2018 Sheffield FC 15 (2)
2018–2019 Vålerenga 15 (1)
2019–2021 FC Fleury 91 18 (0)
2021–2023 Dijon 29 (3)
2023–2025 Sunderland 26 (6)
2025– Ipswich Town 9 (0)
International career‡
2014–2016 England U19 13 (2)
2016 England U20 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 29 November 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 October 2017

Jenna May Dear (born 29 May 1996) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League 2 club Ipswich Town.

Career

Born in Hayes, Hillingdon, Dear spent her early years at the Reading FC Girls' Centre of Excellence and played for Yiewsley Predators and Hayes & Yeading Youth.

Dear joined Chelsea LFC at the age of 14, and went on loan to Watford Ladies in March 2015 for the first half of that season. She joined Everton LFC in January 2016. After taking four months away from football due to personal issues, Dear moved to Sheffield in April 2017. She then had a spell with Vålerenga Fotball Damer in Norway.

Dear joined French side Fleury in 2019, but left in 2021 due to problems with sexual harassment, misconduct and a toxic culture at the club. From Fleury she transferred to Dijon.

In July 2023, Dear returned to England, signing with Championship club Sunderland. She spent two seasons at the club, during which time she scored six goals.

On 31 July 2025, Dear was announced at Ipswich Town on a permanent transfer as the club prepared for its first season in the second division. She made her debut for Ipswich as a substitute in the team's first WSL2 match against Southampton, and quickly became a key player as the season went on.

International career

Dear represented England at under-15 level, captaining the side at the age of 14. She made the move up to under-19 level, where she made her debut against Sweden on 15 July 2014, and has since also played for the under-20 team.

Personal life

In January 2025, Dear was stopped by police in Newcastle city centre after driving in excess of the speed limit and failing to stop for a red light. She was subsequently convicted of drink-driving and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

References

  1. ↑ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/12/2014 and 31/12/2014" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 1. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Johnson Adds Jenna Dear To Spring Series Squad". Sheffield FC Ladies. 1 April 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Hayes footballer skippers England to glory". Get West London. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Spence's Happy New Dear". Everton LFC. 6 January 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Frith, Wilf (27 April 2018). "#FAWSL: Jenna Dear's new lease of life at Sheffield FC". She Kicks. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  6. ↑ O'Neill, Jen (1 April 2017). "Jenna Dear Joins Sheffield FC". She Kicks. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  7. ↑ She is coming home, from vif-damefotball.no, last accessed on August 22, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Bryter tausheten om uakseptabel oppførsel i toppklubb: – Tok på oss på upassende måter". www.nrk.no (in Norwegian). 29 November 2021.
  9. ↑ Thiesset, Jean-Pierre (20 August 2021). "D1 Arkema 2021/22 — Ins and outs". Impetus Football. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Beria, Adrien (6 August 2021). "Le DFCO féminin engage l'anglaise Jenna Dear" [DFCO Women sign Englishwoman Jenna Dear]. Ici (in French). Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Jenna Dear joins the Lasses". Sunderland. 24 July 2023.
  12. 1 2 Burham, Asif (19 December 2025). "Dear: Important game for both teams". Independent Ipswich Town. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "JENNA DEAR JOINS TOWN". www.itfc.co.uk.
  14. ↑ Parker, Ben (5 September 2025). "'Proud moment' beckons as Ipswich start life in WSL 2". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Jenna Dear". TheFA.com. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  16. ↑ Nichol, Sara (25 February 2025). "Sunderland AFC Women footballer caught drink-driving after 'flouting red light'". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Storey, Alex (26 February 2025). "Sunderland footballer banned from roads after being caught drink driving pictured leaving court". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 21 July 2026.