Bea Franklin

Bea Franklin grew up playing for Crossfire ECNL in the Seattle area before starring at Seattle Preparatory School, where she was named Washington state's Gatorade Player of the Year. That schoolboy form earned her a route into college soccer, first at Notre Dame in 2019 and 2020, then at Arkansas from 2021 to 2023.

It was at Arkansas that Franklin's game took shape as a midfielder capable of deciding matches. Across 62 appearances she scored 15 goals, output that made her the SEC's Midfielder of the Year in 2023. She combined that form with academic recognition, picking up the SEC Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in 2024.

Chicago selected Franklin in the third round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, with the 41st overall pick. She has since made herself a fixture in the Red Stars' midfield, and the club rewarded her progress on 25 July 2025 by extending her contract through 2027. In her professional career to date she has made 39 appearances and scored four goals.

A left-footed midfielder, Franklin has yet to add a professional trophy to her collection, but her contract extension points to a club building around her for the years ahead.