{{short description|Jamaican footballer (born 2003)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Use British English|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Kameron Simmonds | image = FSU vs Wake ACC 2024 - 023 (cropped).jpg | image_size = 200px | caption = Simmonds with Florida State in 2024 | fullname = Kameron Necole Simmonds | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|2003|12|06}} | birth_place = Midlothian, Virginia, U.S. | height = 1.70 m | position = Forward, defender | currentclub = Utah Royals | clubnumber = 6 | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Richmond United | collegeyears1 = 2022–2023 | college1 = Tennessee Volunteers | collegecaps1 = 34 | collegegoals1 = 12 | collegeyears2 = 2024–2025 | college2 = Florida State Seminoles | collegecaps2 = 42 | collegegoals2 = 6 | years1 = 2024 | clubs1 = Richmond Ivy | caps1 = 6 | goals1 = 1 | years2 = 2026– | clubs2 = Utah Royals | caps2 = 1 | goals2 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 2022 | nationalteam1 = Jamaica U20 | nationalcaps1 = 4 | nationalgoals1 = 2 | nationalyears2 = 2022– | nationalteam2 = Jamaica | nationalcaps2 = 11 | nationalgoals2 = 1 | medaltemplates = | club-update = 14 March 2026 | ntupdate = 08:33, 3 March 2026 (UTC+1) }} '''Kameron Necole Simmonds''' (born 6 December 2003) is a footballer who plays as a forward or defender for the Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Born in the United States, she plays for the Jamaica national team. She played college soccer for the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida State Seminoles, winning the 2025 national championship with the Seminoles.
==Early life== Kameron Necole Simmonds was born on 6 December 2003 in Virginia<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Kameron Simmonds - Soccer |url=https://utsports.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/kameron-simmonds/18902 |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=University of Tennessee Athletics |language=en |archive-date=1 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801011419/https://utsports.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/kameron-simmonds/18902 |url-status=live }}</ref> to Necole and Greg Simmonds. She has three younger brothers, including the footballer Nicholas Simmonds. Despite her father being a former footballer, Simmonds only took up the sport when she was unable to continue training in gymnastics after an injury at the age of 11; beginning football the next year, she trained with her father.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Why Tennessee soccer players' Jamaican national team invites are special |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/other-sports/2022/09/01/tennessee-soccer-jamaican-national-team-kameron-simmonds-giselle-washington/7906930001/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Knoxville News Sentinel |language=en-US |archive-date=30 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730201906/https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/other-sports/2022/09/01/tennessee-soccer-jamaican-national-team-kameron-simmonds-giselle-washington/7906930001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== College career == Simmonds played for Richmond United until the summer of 2022 when she began her college soccer career at the University of Tennessee for the Tennessee Volunteers.<ref name=":0" /> She chose to join Tennessee due to her parents believing in its values; due to encouragement from Jamaica teammate Giselle Washington, who already attended the university; and being inspired by Jamaica legend and former Volunteer Khadija Shaw.<ref name=":1" />
As a true freshman, she made two top 100 best freshman lists, having scored four goals in sixteen appearances. Playing as a substitute, the college highlighted her productivity in her limited minutes, often with multiple shots on goal per game.<ref name=":0" />
== Club career == In February 2024, Simmonds joined Richmond Ivy ahead of their inaugural USL W League season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McGinley |first1=Mannion |title=Jamaican National Team Forward, Florida State Seminole Kameron Simmonds Commits to Play for W League RVA |url=https://www.richmondkickers.com/news/2024/02/08/kameron-simmonds-commits-to-play-for-w-league-rva/ |website=RichmondKickers.com |publisher=Richmond Kickers |access-date=12 May 2025}}</ref>
Simmons joined the NWSL's Utah Royals as a non-roster invitee in the 2026 preseason.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rsl.com/utahroyals/news/utah-royals-fc-announces-2026-preseason-roster-and-schedule|title=Utah Royals FC Announces 2026 Preseason Roster and Schedule|date=2026-01-13|publisher=Utah Royals|access-date=2026-01-13}}</ref> On 5 February 2026, the Royals announced that they had signed Simmonds to her first professional contract, a two-year deal.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=5 February 2026 |title=Utah Royals FC Signs 2025 NCAA National Champion Kameron Simmonds |url=https://www.rsl.com/utahroyals/news/utah-royals-fc-signs-2025-ncaa-national-champion-kameron-simmonds |access-date=2026-02-06 |website=RSL |language=en}}</ref>
==International career== In the under-20 national team, Simmonds competed at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship with the Jamaican U-20 team.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Korea Republic vs. Jamaica - 3 September 2022 - Soccerway |url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/09/03/world/friendly-women/korea-republic/jamaica/3930321/ |accessdate=29 July 2023 |archive-date=29 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729174810/https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/09/03/world/friendly-women/korea-republic/jamaica/3930321/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She scored two goals at the tournament, watched by her family.<ref name=":1" />
When she made her senior debut on 3 September 2022, in a 0–1 friendly loss to South Korea,<ref name=":2" /> she became the third generation of her family to represent Jamaica in senior international football after her father, Greg, and grandfather, Patrick.<ref name=":1" />
Simmonds then competed at the 2023 Cup of Nations, where her team finished in fourth place.<ref>{{cite news|date=22 February 2023|title=WATCH: CommBank Matildas reigning Cup of Nations winners|url=https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/watch-commbank-matildas-reigning-cup-nations-winners|work=footballaustralia.com.au|access-date=22 February 2023|archive-date=23 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223062420/https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/watch-commbank-matildas-reigning-cup-nations-winners|url-status=live}}</ref> On 23 June 2023, she was included in the final Jamaica squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latest-news/reggae-girlz-squad-named-for-fifa-womens-world-cup/ |title=Reggae Girlz squad named for FIFA Women's World Cup |date=2023-06-23 |language=en-US |accessdate=2023-07-23 |archive-date=24 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624230132/https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latest-news/reggae-girlz-squad-named-for-fifa-womens-world-cup/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She made her World Cup debut in the second group game, coming on for Kayla McKenna in a 1–0 victory over Panama.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/07/29/world/womens-world-cup/panama/jamaica/3705257/|title=Panama vs. Jamaica - 29 July 2023 - Soccerway|website=int.soccerway.com|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=30 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730044929/https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/07/29/world/womens-world-cup/panama/jamaica/3705257/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Honors==
'''Florida State Seminoles''' *NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament: 2025 *ACC women's soccer tournament: 2024
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *{{Sports links}} *[https://utsports.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/kameron-simmonds/18902 Tennessee Volunteers profile]
{{Utah Royals squad}} {{Jamaica squad 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmonds, Kameron}} Category:2003 births Category:Living people Category:American women's soccer players Category:Women's association football forwards Category:Women's association football defenders Category:Jamaican women's footballers Category:21st-century Jamaican sportswomen Category:Jamaica women's international footballers Category:2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players Category:Tennessee Lady Volunteers soccer players Category:Soccer players from Virginia Category:People from Chesterfield County, Virginia Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:Florida State Seminoles women's soccer players Category:USL W League players Category:Utah Royals players Category:National Women's Soccer League players