After serving Seattle’s fans for over 14 years, Reign FC midfielder Jess Fishlock announced her plans to retire at the end of this year’s season. 

Fishlock, born and raised in Cardiff, Wales, then signed to Seattle, has been astoundingly loyal to her original team of choice: She’s one of only three players from the Reign’s inaugural roster to have stayed with the team for over a decade. After Lauren Barnes and Megan Rapinoe retired, she quickly became the longest-lasting member of the squad. While her colleagues moved around to other cities and different opportunities, Fishlock remained steady through it all.

She’s grown close with another anchor on the team, longtime coach Laura Harvey. The pair have been inseparable coworkers for a decade, which is why Harvey described Fishlock’s departure as “the end of an era.” They both left burgeoning careers in the UK to start something new in the US, and Harvey noted her gratitude for Fishlock taking a chance on Seattle. 

At first, Fishlock worried her big risk wouldn’t pay off.

“[The NWSL] was so intense, it was so fast, the tempo of the game was just on another level,” she said, reflecting on some early adversity. “I remember, after that first game, I said to Laura, ‘I can’t do this. I need to go home. This is too much for me.’ But Laura did her thing. She convinced me to stay in it, which, naturally, I’m still here.” 

In the decade since, Fishlock eventually mastered the game that once intimidated her. She was named MVP in 2021, then led the team to their third-ever NWSL Shield the year after. She’s been part of three award-winning seasons and three finals appearances, though the Reign have yet to win their first NWSL championship. 

On the field, she controls the midfield with a reliable sturdiness. She’s been described as having a hyperaware mind for the game, able to identify openings that others miss, and can control momentum on the ball like no other. It’s why she’s achieved nearly as many assists as goals across her career. 

Between seasons, Fishlock would return to her home country to play for the national team. Her offensive prowess in Europe has made her the all-time scorer in all of Wales, among both men and women, and she retired from international play earlier last year.

“She was an event in herself,” wrote Geraint Hughes of Sky News, in tribute to Fishlock’s career in Wales. “People wanted to go and see her play. She was so skillful and had the vision to alter matches… To see not just women and girls scramble to get tickets to see her, but also men and boys, has been a unique moment to witness.”

Fishlock said her retirement isn’t much of a surprise for anyone at Reign FC. She wanted to get the message out early, before the season, so she could stay focused on the game rather than keeping secrets. She knows she’ll still want to stay involved with the game after retirement but doesn’t know if that involvement is coaching.

“I don’t know if I could do what Laura does. There’s so many elements to coaching in the modern game that, honestly, are terrifying,” she admitted. “Laura does it with ease, which is just crazy to me.”

Regardless of her own future, Fishlock believes entirely that her current team will accomplish great things. She said that she still finds immense joy in the game, and the fun she’s had with her Seattle teammates is what convinced her to play a few more seasons than she initially expected. 

“I feel very happy, and at peace, being a part of this group,” she said. “Even when I go at the end of this season, what’s next for them is super exciting. It’s nice to be able to leave knowing that. It’s almost like I get to leave exactly the same as how it began, and I think that’s special.”