Owen Dale and Jessica Beaumont describe life on the move during transfer windows
Owen Dale and his partner Jessica Beaumont say Dale’s loan move to Portsmouth in 2022 — part of the transfer-window activity — came just days after Beaumont gave birth, forcing the couple to uproot while settling into a house they had only just bought.
The couple met when Dale was at Crewe Alexandra and moved to Blackpool on loan with an option to buy while Jessica was pregnant with their son Xavier; she says, "Since living together, we've moved five times in five years." The transfer window, which permits clubs to buy, sell and loan players twice a year in the Premier League, the EFL and the WSL, has shaped much of their family life and housing choices.
Their first house together in Congleton was occupied for a single night after Portsmouth agreed the loan; Jessica says she had "never even been there." She recalls renting out the Congleton property and moving into rented accommodation while finishing her law degree and ultimately having to tell her employer, "I wouldn't be coming back from maternity leave." Post-natal complications further limited her ability to travel as Dale moved away for playing opportunities.
Jessica describes periods of isolation when Dale was away for matches but also the support she found from another player's partner who often stayed with her, a friendship she values: "I say to her all the time that I'll appreciate that time forever because I was just so isolated." She adds that the family often rents newer houses as a blank canvas and that Argyle provided furnished accommodation last season, which they referred to as "the holiday house."
Dale, now 27, has spent most of his career in League One with two spells in the Championship at Blackpool and Oxford United; last season he made 28 appearances for Plymouth Argyle. The article notes he is currently a free agent, meaning he is not tied to any club by a legal contract and can join a new team without a transfer fee.
Several of Dale's moves have been completed on deadline day and he acknowledges the personal cost: he says he is "very aware of the sacrifices" his family make and that "until there's a contract signed on the dotted line, you could end up anywhere." He went on loan to Portsmouth in 2022 just days after Xavier's birth, returned to Blackpool the following year and made 32 appearances for the Tangerines.
The family relocated to Bicester in 2024 while Dale helped Oxford United win promotion to the Championship, and he joined Wigan Athletic on loan the following year, making his debut in a 2–1 FA Cup Fourth Round defeat to Fulham; last season the family lived in Devon after his loan to Plymouth Argyle. Jessica says practicalities such as storing toys and not having items like a trampoline at each location are ongoing challenges for their children, "four-year-old Xavier and two-month old Etta."
Jessica offers practical advice born of their experience, saying it is important to keep an identity outside football and to be financially sensible, and describing her own routines: "In our house, I de-clutter maybe once a month," and "When it's the transfer window I will plan in one-week blocks." For now, with Dale a free agent able to sign for a club without a transfer fee, the family continue to manage short-notice moves while balancing work, childcare and the uncertainty of football contracts.
