Author Archives: womensfootballarchive

Sunderland and the WSL – professionalism in English women’s football

  One step forward, two steps back: debt-ridden Sunderland axe pro women’s setup     Women’s Football Archive ponders the implications of Wearside giants Sunderland slashing their women’s team’s budget, at a time of make-or-break for the FA’s fledgling WSL project.  

Players: Carol Thomas

Carol Thomas (née McCune): England’s unsung heroine   Born: 5th June 1955 Position: Right-back Debut: France (7th November 1974) Last game: Republic of Ireland (22nd September 1985) Occupation: Clerk (1974–85), Lunchtime Supervisor (1993–2001), Village Postie (2001–2013)   Today, Carol Thomas remains the forgotten and overlooked captain of the England women’s team (excluding this website ofContinue reading “Players: Carol Thomas”

Review: Carol Thomas interview with BBC Radio Humberside, 14 November 2016

  Ex-England skipper breaks cover for local radio chat   On a cold Monday night in November BBC Radio Humberside pulled off a significant coup, securing Carol Thomas as the guest in their 6pm nightly ‘Sports Talk’ phone-in. In trying her hand at punditry Thomas proved herself an eloquent standard bearer for women’s football andContinue reading “Review: Carol Thomas interview with BBC Radio Humberside, 14 November 2016”

Anne O’Brien, footballer (1956–2016)

Irish football great Anne O’Brien dies in Italy aged 60   Ireland lost one of its best ever sports stars with the untimely death of Anne O’Brien in August 2016. Medals and memories from a stellar pro career in France and Italy cemented her unique legacy to Irish sporting heritage. The tragedy is that sheContinue reading “Anne O’Brien, footballer (1956–2016)”

Players: Maggie Pearce

Morag “Maggie” Pearce (née Kirkland): England’s original and best left-back   Born: c.1957, Southampton Position: Left-back Debut: Scotland (A) 18 November 1972 Occupation: Schoolgirl (1972)   Southampton WFC great Maggie Pearce is the only player to start both England’s first ever match in 1972 and the UEFA Championship final 12 years later. At 15 sheContinue reading “Players: Maggie Pearce”

Players: Lorraine Hanson

Lorraine Hanson (née Dobb): Belles and England great   Born: c.1959, Worksop Position: Defender/Forward Debut: 1975? Occupation: Sales receptionist (1983, 1985), Clerk (1986)   Considering Lorraine Hanson was such a brilliant footballer for Doncaster Belles and England, there is next to nothing about her on the internet. After starting out in her native Nottinghamshire withContinue reading “Players: Lorraine Hanson”

Administrator: Pat Gregory

Patricia “Pat” Gregory   Born: c.1947, London Position: Unknown Debut: N/A Occupation: BBC Sport special projects manager (1993, 2005)   Pat Gregory: A lifetime dedicated to women’s football   First, an apology: until now the entire Women’s Football Archive project has been a pathetic joke. That’s because it has purported to tell the story ofContinue reading “Administrator: Pat Gregory”

Match: Republic of Ireland 0–5 England, 3 May 1981, Dalymount Park

Reagan’s rampant England put five past Ireland     Classic match report: Debuts for Coultard and Gallimore as England drub Girls in Green   In June 2016 England blooded two new Lionesses in the shape of Rachel Daly and Nikita Parris, who both made their debuts in a 7–0 cakewalk against hapless Serbia. Some 35Continue reading “Match: Republic of Ireland 0–5 England, 3 May 1981, Dalymount Park”