DEMI STOKES
Double Centurion
by George Kelsey
Demi Stokes has become only the third women’s player to make 200 appearances for Manchester City.
During her time at the Club, she has won seven domestic trophies, while also being named in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions.
An integral figure both on and off the pitch, Stokes has been at the centre of City’s success through the years and continues to play a huge role in our pursuit of silverware.
In the below feature, Demi reflects on the latest milestone in her impressive career to date, with some of her current team-mates also paying tribute to the essential contribution she has - and continues - to make at the City Football Academy.
When I turned up, I think I had a hard hat on. There was mud and diggers everywhere… that’s what convinced me!
While tongue-in-cheek, Demi Stokes’ response when asked for her first impressions of Manchester City are a demonstration of her longevity at the Club.
The hard hat comment refers to the fact that the defender signed for City just over a month after the Joie Stadium – and City Football Academy more broadly – was unveiled to the public in December 2014.
Our first season as a professional outfit earlier that year had ended strongly, with a historic Continental Cup final victory over Arsenal providing silverware to round off the maiden campaign.
But while a fifth-placed finish and a trophy was ultimately something to be proud of, City were determined to achieve more.
It was an ambition which Stokes, fresh from a four-year scholarship in the United States with South Florida Bulls, noticed instantly.
And the prospect of a professional contract at a team who shared her desire to not only be successful on the pitch but also to play an active role in growing the women’s game was an opportunity the defender wasn’t about to pass up.
“It was the vision of the Club and where they wanted to take the women’s game, that’s what did it for me,” she reflects.
“I wanted to be a part of that and to put the game in a better place.
“I obviously really liked [former manager] Nick [Cushing] and how he was. I did a session with the girls, and I could tell they were a good group as well.
“I was convinced by the whole vibe of it. To be a professional footballer as well, that was all I wanted to be.
“It was a no brainer. Obviously, Steph [Houghton] and Jill [Scott] had been here. I thought if it’s good enough for the likes of them, then it’s perfect for me!
“I feel like this is my home. I’m just enjoying the crazy ride.
“It’s something I’m very proud of [to reach 200 appearances]. It’s been a journey.”
There are few people better than her in a 1v1 situation in terms of defending, she’s one of the best in the league, if not Europe.
As Stokes mentions, there were several familiar faces at the Club when she first stepped through the doors at the City Football Academy.
Making her England debut in January 2014, the defender was already used to sharing a pitch with some of her new team-mates who were also fully fledged Lionesses, but there was a particular familiarity with Steph Houghton.
“I‘ve been fortunate enough to have known Demi since she was about 10 or 11 at Sunderland,” Houghton explains.
“To see the career that she’s had [is brilliant]. She’s an unbelievable girl and an unbelievable friend.
“From a playing point of view as well, you just know what you’re going to get from Demi. She’s so consistent and has been over the 200 games she’s played.”
Consistency is the word that continually crops up when Stokes is mentioned in conversation.
A quality often overlooked, the left-back has diligently gone about her business at the Joie Stadium over the years, not only improving her individual game but also that of those around her.
The defender is a legendary figure at City in her own right and a hugely respected member of the squad, as Houghton explains.
“Off the pitch, you know that you can always rely on her," Steph continues.
“I’ve lent on her a lot in the last few years in terms of giving her opinion, she’s always quite logical and balanced.
“Ultimately, she’s a total team player who will do whatever she needs to for the team.
“She deserves every accolade and mention she gets because she’s an unbelievable player and an unbelievable person.”
Of course, her importance to the team isn’t restricted to the dressing room.
Seven domestic trophies aside, Stokes has also earned further recognition over the years when being included in the PFA Team of the Year in successive seasons in 2017/18 and 2018/19.
While offering a constant attacking threat from out wide, the England international never shirks her defensive duties and rightly has a reputation as one of the finest left backs in the WSL.
It’s something that Houghton – working meticulously with Demi over the years at the heart of the City defence – is keen to emphasise.
“Demi sometimes goes under the radar, but for those of us who play with her every single day, you know what you’re going to get,” she adds.
“In terms of physicality as well, she’s always been one of the fittest players. She absolutely beasts everyone on the fitness and the strength tests.
“There are few people better than her in a 1v1 situation in terms of defending, she’s one of the best in the league, if not Europe.”
Demi’s like my mum! She’s an amazing character and one who really took me under her wing when I came here.
Chloe Kelly has experienced Stokes’ qualities both as a team-mate at City and with the Lionesses, as well as an opponent at Arsenal and Everton.
She agrees with Houghton’s assessment, while also explaining the important supportive role Demi played in her first few months at City.
The respect that Stokes commands is etched across Kelly’s face, as she instantly breaks into a smile at the mention of her team-mates’ name.
“She’s a great player, going up against her is so difficult. I’m really happy for her [to reach 200 appearances] and I’m sure there will be so many more to come,” the winger declares.
“I feel so much love for her, she’s an unbelievable person.
“To get her 200th appearance is amazing for her and for this Club too.
“Demi’s like my mum! Honestly, she’s brilliant. She’s an amazing character and one who really took me under her wing when I came here.”
On the subject of mothers…
Stokes recently discussed how she has taken on the rigours of parenthood after her and her partner, Katie, gave birth to a baby boy – Harlen - in May 2022.
In doing so, Demi became the first female City player to become a parent while also remaining a professional footballer.
As part of the Club’s International Women’s Day celebrations in March 2023, the couple even came into the CFA with Harlen to chat about their experience as first-time parents so far.
Stokes often brings her baby into the training ground on recovery days, and the relationship he has with her team-mates is clear to see.
Being a parent, of course, comes with its fair share of trials and tribulations, but Kelly believes that the defender is thriving under that challenge.
She said: “Honestly, she’s a super woman, how she can be a mum and then come into training and live the life of a professional athlete.
“It’s crazy, but if anyone could do it, it’s Demi – she’s an amazing person and an amazing player as well.
“It’s special for her to get her 200th appearance and Harlen’s like a little nephew for all of us.”
It was a whirlwind summer for Stokes who, a matter of weeks after becoming a mother, was also part of the England squad who would win an historic European championship on home soil.
Fast forward to present day, and Stokes' sights are set on adding further silverware to hear already glowing CV.
Indeed, while Demi is delighted to have become only the third City player to reach 200 appearances for the Club, her focus is firmly on what she can go on to achieve as part of a young, enthusiastic squad under the guidance of Gareth Taylor.
“I think we can do whatever we want to do,” she declares confidently.
“If you look at the group we’ve got, they’re very young but very good, you can see that from the games and the consistency we’re playing with.
“We can go on to do great things, that’s what we’re pushing for and that’s what we want to do. It’s just about trying to be successful and win more silverware.”
Stokes is sure to play an important role in any of that success both this season and beyond, with the 31-year-old still possessing that same hunger that the Club shared when she first signed back in January 2015.
However, when she does eventually decide to hang up the boots, what sort of legacy does the City defender hope she’ll have left behind for the next generation of talent?
Stokes puffs out her cheeks as she thinks about how to respond to the question: “You’ve caught me off guard there a little bit,”
“I suppose just to have been a good person, player and defender who gave everything for the team.
“I think that’s probably it, and someone who was humble about it all, I think.”
Regardless of any future success, Stokes’ response is rather modest considering all that she has already achieved in her professional career to date.
Not only has she claimed silverware on both a domestic and international front, but she has also played an important role in challenging attitudes around becoming a mother while remaining at the pinnacle of professional sport.
It’s a legacy that would be the envy of many, and one which she couldn’t be more deserving of.
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