Emma Louise Lawton (born 26 July 2001) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a right back for Celtic of the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL), and for the Scotland women's national team. Her previous clubs include Partick Thistle (two spells) and Motherwell.
Raised in East Kilbride, Lawton played for Celtic as a youth player but joined Partick Thistle aged 15, immediately participating at senior level albeit in the SWFL First Division South (the regionalised amateur third tier); she helped Partick gain promotion to the Scottish Women's Premier League-2 in 2018. In late 2019 she joined Manchester City, although only featured for the English club's development side in a spell which was also interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2022, Lawton returned to Scotland and signed for SWPL-1 team Motherwell, where she spent one season before re-joining Partick Thistle, now also members of the top tier. During the 2023âÂÂ24 season, Partick reached their first major final â losing 4âÂÂ1 to Rangers in the SWPL Cup â and finished in the league's top six, with Lawton named in the PFA Scotland SWPL Team of the Year and as the club's Player of the Year. She agreed a new contract with Partick and began the following campaign with the Jags, but joined Celtic on a full-time contract on 12 September 2024 (transfer deadline day) along with Motherwell's Morgan Cross. She quickly impressed with performances in the SWPL and the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Lawton was selected for the Scotland under-23 team, which plays only friendly matches, in 2023 and 2024.
She received her first call-up to the senior Scotland squad in February 2025, making her debut as a starter in a 1âÂÂ0 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League defeat away to Austria, and scoring her first international goal four days later in a 2âÂÂ1 loss to the Netherlands at Hampden Park.
Lawton has studied and trained as a sports coach, achieving a BA in Football Coaching and Management from the UCFB in 2022, and holding a UEFA B licence by 2024.