From Heart Surgery To The English National Team: Jade Moore Is A Sun FC Gem
In many ways, the Tampa Bay Sun have been leaders for the fledgling USL Super League, set to start next month in August 2024. The first amongst the founding eight clubs to announce a number of things, including crest and colors, the front office has looked to place their team in the best possible position to fly out of the gates and lead the league on the field as well. The Sun announced their initial roster moves before some other clubs even had team names, signing former American and Canadian national team players Erika Tymrak and Jordyn Listro.
Since then, several more international players have signed on – and one is creating quite the buzz online. While the Sun have Ghanaian and Danish national teamers on the roster (and youth national team players from multiple countries), Jade Moore stands out for her career with England. Her 51 caps over nearly eight years and four major tournaments speak to an incredible record, not to mention a high amount of trust placed in her by three different managers. Moore’s announcement represents a statement of intent by the club in Tampa Bay.
Originally from the Midlands in England, Moore started her professional career in the second tier with Lincoln City. (The club has since relocated.) She jumped to the top division with Leeds United in the summer of 2007 before moving to Birmingham City after three and half years. It was there, again in the Midlands, that her career truly took off and Moore began to get looks from the national side. Three months before winning the FA Women’s Cup Final with Birmingham City, she earned her first cap for England at the senior level and began a streak that would see her named to every Euro and World Cup roster until the Covid years.
While all this is impressive, there is more to Moore than one would gather from just her playing career. Women’s soccer has gone from strength to strength in the past decade; but, the career of a professional footballer from the era before the 2011-establishment of the Women’s Super League in England required something beyond soccer skills. The tumultuous nature of the pre-WSL world aside, the start to Moore’s journey as a pro was even more of a roller coaster than what followed. Due to her skill, she was part of the England youth setup for many years. As part of her training there, in 2007 she received what is now a very common physical screening that showed she had two holes in her heart. This required corrective measures if she was to continue in the sport she loved. Moore stated in an article for the FA that, “had I not had that screening, and the subsequent surgery, I was told that I could have been dead by 40.”
All this occurred when she was only 16. Staring down a heart problem that could’ve prevented her from playing, Moore looked to other areas outside of soccer – just in case it was ever necessary. She subsequently qualified to become a sports therapist and went on to found her own company. BeMore Health and Fitness grew and she hired teammates from Birmingham City to join in as personal trainers and coaches. The current manager of Rangers WFC in Scotland, Jo Potter, got her start working alongside Moore and another teammate, Remi Allen, who has also moved into coaching since then.
Having heart surgery as a teenager which ultimately led to one becoming a sports therapist would be remarkable in and of itself. Jade Moore was able to do it all while simultaneously competing at the highest levels of soccer in Britain and on the international stage for her country. Her form at Birmingham City was so strong as to earn her a call up to the squad for the Women’s Euro 2013, at which she did not play. When England changed managers, she kept her place in the team and then went one better, making appearances in every game they played at the 2015 World Cup, bar the third place playoff match.
Moore continued her strong international form during the Women’s Euro 2017, playing again in every game bar one. She formed a partnership with another famous English midfielder, Jill Scott, on their way to a semifinal loss to eventual champion Netherlands. She played a smaller role in the World Cup in 2019, where England would again go out in the semifinals to the eventual champions. Her international career includes one third place trophy at the 2015 World Cup, one semifinalist spot for the 2017 Euro, and one fourth place finish at the 2019 World Cup. (It should be noted the Euros do not have a third-place playoff game.)
After leaving Birmingham City on the club side, she joined Notts County for a small stint and then moved to Reading when the former folded. During the Covid outbreak of 2020, Moore signed with Orlando City of the National Women’s Soccer League here in the United States. Unable to join them due to the spread of the virus, she moved on loan to Atletico Madrid in Spain and eventually moved to Manchester United. Her spell there did not last long and included another loan to Reading. Before moving to Florida officially and for the first time this summer, she played once more with Birmingham City, spending last season at the club with whom she found so much success in her career.
In Jade Moore, the Tampa Bay Sun have found an incredible athlete, leader, and person. She should be able to sit at the base of the midfield and dictate play, just as she did on the biggest stage in the sport, provided injuries don’t limit her time on the field. While many players on the roster here have extensive experience in professional soccer, there are those who don’t as well. They will need someone who knows the ins and outs of the daily grind. They will need someone who demands the absolute best from them and commands respect while doing so. Three major tournament semifinal games should go a long way toward helping Moore do exactly that.
Off the field, she can also be a role model to the young athletes in Tampa Bay who dream of a career in or around sport – after all, she’s done both. Moore is a sign-post for the Sun’s ambition as a team, not to mention the USL Super League’s ambition as an entity. If players of her caliber are involved, there is serious competition taking place on the field here. She can help a young organization, just as she would help a young player, and shepherd it to the next stage where it becomes even more established as a local institution. The only question is, now that she’s actually got to experience one, whether she can handle a Floridian summer.
