Julie Fleeting
Julie Stewart MBE is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. She spent nine years at English club Arsenal and was the first Scot to play as a full-time professional in the WUSA playing for San Diego Spirit. She won the Scottish Women's League title with Ayr and seventeen major trophies with Arsenal.
According to the Scottish Football Association, Fleeting has a record of 116 goals and 121 caps for Scotland between her debut in 1996 and retirement in 2015, although those figures appear to include unofficial internationals. Fleeting also captained her country for eight years.
According to UEFA, she has a record of 28 goals in 22 games in UEFA competitions for national teams, and 22 goals in 32 games in UEFA club competitions.
She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 Birthday Honours. She has also represented Scotland in the sport of basketball.
Early and personal life
Fleeting's father is ex-professional player and current Scottish Football Association Director of Football Development Jim Fleeting. Former Kilmarnock owner Bobby Fleeting is her uncle. She also has a brother named Barry who played football at Junior level.Fleeting attended St Winning's Primary School in Kilwinning, Ayrshire for her primary education and St Michael's Academy in Kilwinning, Ayrshire for her secondary education. While still at school, Fleeting showed talent in basketball and field hockey as well as football.
A teacher by profession, she has taught Physical Education in St Michael's Academy in Kilwinning in North Ayrshire; St Matthew's Academy in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire; Charleston Academy, Inverness and—since 2008—Auchenharvie Academy in Stevenston, North Ayrshire. Fleeting married goalkeeper Colin Stewart in June 2005. They became a couple when Fleeting was playing for Ayr United and Stewart was coming through the youth ranks at Kilmarnock, having met through Jim Fleeting's friendship with Colin's father Jim Stewart. The wedding at St Mary's Church in Irvine was attended by Scottish football notables including Tommy Burns, Jim Leighton and Ian Durrant. Fleeting, known to teammates as Fleets, retained her maiden name for football purposes. On 23 December 2008, Fleeting announced she was pregnant with her first child and ruled herself out of participation in the remainder of the football season. She gave birth to a daughter, Ella, on 27 July 2009. In February 2012 it was reported that Fleeting and husband Colin were expecting their second child. Sophia Jane, a girl weighing 7lbs 3ozs arrived at 11:03pm on 28 April 2012. Fleeting had a third child, Matilda was born in 2017.
In 2007, Fleeting was named as Scotland's Sports Personality of the Year. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 Birthday Honours, collecting the medal in November of that year in a Buckingham Palace ceremony hosted by Prince Charles.
In June 2009, Fleeting was inducted into the University of Edinburgh's Sports Hall of Fame alongside Graeme Randall, Gregor Townsend and Chris Hoy. In 2011, Fleeting became an ambassador of Street Soccer for women's football in 2011.
Club career
Early career
Fleeting began her football career aged nine with Cunninghame Boys under-10s. Fleeting, the only girl playing in the entire league, also helped St Winning's Primary School beat 1,000 other schools to the 1992 national championship. The competition was sponsored by Tudor Crisps and Fleeting's school prevailed 1–0 in the final at Ibrox Stadium. She joined Prestwick Girls when SFA rules barred her from mixed football at age 12. In April 1995, Fleeting scored twice as Prestwick beat Cumbernauld Cosmos 7–5 in the final of the Under-16 Scottish Cup. The following season Prestwick came under the auspices of Ayr United, and the Sunday Mail newspaper was already describing Fleeting as: "the most gifted young footballer in Scotland." After finishing school in 1998 she resisted overtures from American Universities to continue playing for Ayr while training to become a PE teacher at Moray House School of Education. Fleeting explained that: "I was only young when I had to decide which university to go to, and at the time, Edinburgh was far enough away from home. But when I graduate I will still only be 21 and young enough to go abroad if I want to."In the 2001 Scottish Women's Cup final at Almondvale Stadium, Fleeting scored a hat-trick but Ayr lost on penalties to local rivals Kilmarnock after a 3–3 draw. Having already won the league championship, Ayr manager Hugh Flynn consoled his players with the prospect of participation in the following season's inaugural UEFA Women's Cup. In November 2001 Ayr hosted the group stage mini tournament after original hosts Toulouse had their ground damaged by an explosion at a factory. Fleeting found the net in draws with Osijek and Chernihiv but Ayr were eliminated after a third draw with Toulouse.
As the 2001–02 season progressed and graduation neared, Fleeting began to consider her options: "I'm considering America but as it's the top league in the world the competition will be fierce. Italy or England are possibilities although it's a shame I must leave Scotland to make a career in football." When an offer came to join San Diego Spirit in June 2002, Fleeting departed Ayr United after nine years, as the club captain and with around 300 goals to her credit. She did so with the blessing of national team coach Vera Pauw, who had encouraged Fleeting to turn professional and make a living from the sport.
United States
In moving to California Fleeting signed a one-year contract, with an option for a further three years. She arrived mid-season, with San Diego Spirit languishing near the foot of the WUSA table. The move had been called into question when the coach who signed Fleeting was sacked, but general manager and interim coach Kevin Crow sanctioned the deal. On 10 July 2002 Fleeting made her professional debut, setting up San Diego's first goal in a 3–2 defeat at Boston Breakers four minutes after entering play as a 54th-minute substitute. Four days later she played her second match and scored her first goal, driving Shannon MacMillan's centre off the underside of the crossbar from 18 yards to put San Diego 2–1 ahead in a 2–2 draw at home to San Jose CyberRays. In Fleeting's third game on 20 July 2002 she scored a last-minute winner from close range as San Diego beat New York Power 1–0 at Mitchel Athletic Complex. She started a single-goal defeat to Washington Freedom, before bringing her goal tally to three in five games by putting San Diego ahead at home to Atlanta Beat. Unfortunately for Fleeting, Homare Sawa then scored twice as the Beat won 4–1 and extinguished the Spirit's hopes of making the play-offs.Fleeting finished the campaign with three goals and one assist from eight games including seven starts. Of San Diego's four allotted foreign players Fleeting was the only one regularly starting games by the end of the season as the club finished seventh. She returned to Scotland during the off-season but expressed delight at the whole experience and was keen to return for more the following season: "I got to live near the beach on the California coast and play football as my job – it was amazing and I'd be delighted to go back." The Daily Record newspaper contrasted the poor performances of Scotland's male footballers with Fleeting's exploits in "setting the biggest women's football league in the world alight".
Fleeting's American teammates had initially named her Shrek, on account of her accent. An unimpressed Fleeting joked that she would prefer Fat Bastard, since the latter was actually Scottish. During the 2003 WUSA season she acquired a new nickname of Air Scotland after scoring a number of goals with her head. She had missed most of Spirit's pre-season while playing for Scotland but managed a 20-minute substitute appearance in an opening day defeat to Boston Breakers. The squad was much changed from the previous season and Fleeting now paired with Canadian striker Christine Latham in attack. Fleeting scored in the next four consecutive games, equalling the club record as San Diego began a seven-match unbeaten run. The team then hit a slump when Shannon MacMillan, the main supplier of Fleeting's goals, tore her anterior cruciate ligament. After scoring her ninth goal of the season, the equaliser in a 1–1 home draw with New York Power, Fleeting controversially mimicked a urinating dog whilst celebrating.
In the 2003 regular season Fleeting scored 11 goals from her 17 starts and single substitute appearance. San Diego finished third and qualified for the play-offs, where Aly Wagner put them ahead against Atlanta Beat, only for Conny Pohlers to level the match in the 90th minute. Charmaine Hooper won the semi-final tie for Atlanta with a golden goal in extra-time. Fleeting was named the team MVP at the end of year dinner, while her 11 goals and four assists were enough to clinch the club Golden Boot. In addition Fleeting was named to the All-WUSA Second Team.