Ella Toone (MBE)
Footballer and former student of Fred Longworth High School.
Ella Toone (MBE)
Footballer and former student of Fred Longworth High School.
Ella Toone (MBE)
Footballer and former student of Fred Longworth High School.
Ella Toone (MBE) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Manchester United women’s team and the England national team. Renowned for her technical skill, work rate, and clinical finishing, she has cemented her place as a household name in women’s football.
Ella is the Manchester United’s women’s all-time leading goalscorer and appearance maker, having recently reached her 200th outing for the team. For the Lionesses, Ella holds the unique accolade of being the first England player (male or female) to score in a quarter-final, semi-final, and final of a major international tournament. She notably scored the iconic opening goal against Germany in the Euro 2022 Final.
At Fred Longworth High School, Ella enjoyed many sports, including football, gymnastics, netball, and cross-country running. Her hard work and dedication helped her become one of England’s top football players and an inspiration to young athletes.
Alongside her successful football career, Ella operates the ET7 Academy, which is an empowering football and education programme.
Managed alongside her husband, former professional footballer Joe Bunney, the academy provides young female players with top-tier coaching, personal development, and career pathways both on and off the pitch. Fred Longworth High School is proud to be a host venue of this coaching school, with sessions held weekly.
In May 2026, Ella was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) from Prince William at Windsor Castle for her services to football.
In this video (courtesy of Granada Reports) Ella reflects on her time at Fred Longworth High School.
Both Ella Toone and Keely Hodgkinson are former students of Fred Longworth High School, becoming friends during their time at Freddie’s. Both participated in many of the extra-curricular activities that were available to them in school, which helped to develop their love for sports.
They played on the same school football team together. Hodgkinson frequently recalls knowing Toone was destined for stardom because she used to completely “smoke” the boys’ teams. They also ran cross-country together, where Hodgkinson usually held the upper hand.
Despite their busy schedules dominating world athletics and international football, they share a highly publicised, supportive bond and have spoken about this publicly. The most famous example of this came in 2024 when Ella congratulated Keely on her Olympic gold medal win.
You can watch this famous clip, which demonstrates the special bond that both former students have in the video below (courtesy of BBC television).