Gill Coultard
Debut in 1981, first England woman to 100 caps and a future England Captain
Early Football
Gill, born 1963, started playing with her siblings, four brothers and four sisters mainly on the green spaces outside her house. She would go on to become the first woman, and the first amateur to win 100 caps in an era when the WFA, and then the FA, funded about four internationals annually, most of her twenty year England career before the World Cup, first held in 1991 and Olympic women’s football tournament, first held in 1996, made more internationals routine. The achievement of 119 caps would stand until 2012 when Rachel Yankey, playing in the era of increased professionalisation and internationals, obtained 120 caps.
In a road about a mile long, the green outside Gill’s house would be the ‘home’ pitch, while those further down the street were designated as ‘away.’ Tournaments up and down the road included football, cricket, and a range of other sports. Gill’s first proper club was the junior school team, and she had signed with the famous Doncaster Belles by the age of thirteen, when she also began to trial for England, attending North versus South, Possibles versus Probables and several other training camps.
England
Her first England cap came in May 1981, and she came on as a sub in a 3-1 win over the Republic of Ireland, along with Angela Gallimore. This was not the only first. The flight to Ireland was the first time Gill had been on a plane, and the first time away from her family. The camaraderie of the England team more than made up for these life changes. Like Carol Thomas, Gill’s first England cap was home made by Flo Bilton and issued by the WFA, since the FA did not yet want to take full control of women’s football.
Gill, born 1963, started playing with her siblings, four brothers and four sisters mainly on the green spaces outside her house. She would go on to become the first woman, and the first amateur to win 100 caps in an era when the WFA, and then the FA, funded about four internationals annually, most of her twenty year England career before the World Cup, first held in 1991 and Olympic women’s football tournament, first held in 1996, made more internationals routine. The achievement of 119 caps would stand until 2012 when Rachel Yankey, playing in the era of increased professionalisation and internationals, obtained 120 caps.
In a road about a mile long, the green outside Gill’s house would be the ‘home’ pitch, while those further down the street were designated as ‘away.’ Tournaments up and down the road included football, cricket, and a range of other sports. Gill’s first proper club was the junior school team, and she had signed with the famous Doncaster Belles by the age of thirteen, when she also began to trial for England, attending North versus South, Possibles versus Probables and several other training camps.
England
Her first England cap came in May 1981, and she came on as a sub in a 3-1 win over the Republic of Ireland, along with Angela Gallimore. This was not the only first. The flight to Ireland was the first time Gill had been on a plane, and the first time away from her family. The camaraderie of the England team more than made up for these life changes. Like Carol Thomas, Gill’s first England cap was home made by Flo Bilton and issued by the WFA, since the FA did not yet want to take full control of women’s football.
|
|
England Captain
Gill’s captaincy came in 1991 when Debbie Bampton, with whom she roomed as an England international, was injured. She describes the experience as ‘surreal…to play football for your country, to play at Wembley, and to captain your country, you ask yourself wow is it really happening?’ But huge sacrifices were required on a personal level. Like many women at the time Gill had to travel increasing distances to play at the highest level in order to keep her England place, including a five year spell at Rowntree Ladies in York, and travelling to Castleford for club football. The usual format was twice a week club training, and personal fitness, on top of working five days a week on the production line at a Pioneer factory in Castleford, and sometimes weekends. Gill was one of the fortunate ones, as her employer allowed to use paid leave for time off for internationals, valuing the fact that she was representing her country.
The Golden Cap
‘We had eleven captains for England, every time we played,’ Gill tells me, ‘everyone was a captain.’ Gill’s style of play could be described as 110% committed: a box to box midfielder, robust on the tackle, a winner who disliked losing, and one who felt the responsibility to help others on the team as part of her leadership legacy. Gill couldn't remember her 50th cap, as no special celebration took place. Her 100th cap came against Scotland and, in October 1997, before a 1999 World Cup qualifier against Holland at Upton Park, she was presented with a silver cap, and silver lion momento by Sir Geoff Hurst. Fifteen years later, the FA presented her with a gold cap, as it had done men who reached the century milestone. The first woman, and first amateur to reach the distinction, Gill was also only the fifth person to 100 caps for England after Bobby Moore, Billy Wright, Bobby Charlton and Peter Shilton. Considering how few games were played in her era, and England did not qualify for a Women’s World Cup until 1995, this is an incredible achievement, and one which deserves greater honor in public life.
Gill’s captaincy came in 1991 when Debbie Bampton, with whom she roomed as an England international, was injured. She describes the experience as ‘surreal…to play football for your country, to play at Wembley, and to captain your country, you ask yourself wow is it really happening?’ But huge sacrifices were required on a personal level. Like many women at the time Gill had to travel increasing distances to play at the highest level in order to keep her England place, including a five year spell at Rowntree Ladies in York, and travelling to Castleford for club football. The usual format was twice a week club training, and personal fitness, on top of working five days a week on the production line at a Pioneer factory in Castleford, and sometimes weekends. Gill was one of the fortunate ones, as her employer allowed to use paid leave for time off for internationals, valuing the fact that she was representing her country.
The Golden Cap
‘We had eleven captains for England, every time we played,’ Gill tells me, ‘everyone was a captain.’ Gill’s style of play could be described as 110% committed: a box to box midfielder, robust on the tackle, a winner who disliked losing, and one who felt the responsibility to help others on the team as part of her leadership legacy. Gill couldn't remember her 50th cap, as no special celebration took place. Her 100th cap came against Scotland and, in October 1997, before a 1999 World Cup qualifier against Holland at Upton Park, she was presented with a silver cap, and silver lion momento by Sir Geoff Hurst. Fifteen years later, the FA presented her with a gold cap, as it had done men who reached the century milestone. The first woman, and first amateur to reach the distinction, Gill was also only the fifth person to 100 caps for England after Bobby Moore, Billy Wright, Bobby Charlton and Peter Shilton. Considering how few games were played in her era, and England did not qualify for a Women’s World Cup until 1995, this is an incredible achievement, and one which deserves greater honor in public life.
Carol Thomas
England Captain - Portopia Football Festival - September 1981
© David Hanley 1981 programme
|
The England squad enjoying the Portopia Festival © Carol Thomas
|
The Build Up
For some years discussions had been held about a World Cup for Women. Whilst I didn’t know what was being discussed, it had already assumed an unofficial name Mundialito or ‘Little World Cup’ without a ball being kicked. Of course every international woman player of every nation wished for it and it was not until early 1981 that rumours started to circulate that we (England) were to be invited to a Football Festival that would include teams from around the world. What’s more, the Japanese had made a suggestion ahead of Italy, as part of the 1981 Kobe Portopia Festival.
By June 1981 I had become an England regular (to date) with 28 consecutive caps to my name (23 as captain) and having led England into two previous tournaments (the Home Internationals in 1975 and the 1979 Unofficial European Cup).
Whilst many would assume my position was secure, as every international player will tell you, we never take anything for granted. The lead up to each and every international match had its dread, but given the era and location, this was dread on steroids! Had I done enough over recent internationals to warrant selection? Had I performed consistently over the league programme to warrant selection? Had I done enough in the Regional Trials competition? Would I be picked for the squad? Would I play in the tournament?
Add to this the new England manager, Martin Reagan, who had been appointed in late 1979, had only 5 internationals in charge. In effect all the established players were still trying to prove ourselves to him and justify our inclusion in his squads, whilst he was openly lauding the skills and potential of the youngsters starting to emerge around the country. Indeed this tournament would see Martin experiment with his selections, players and formations, as well as introducing new and unique styles of play.
A couple of days after my birthday I received my selection letter.
Phew! I had been selected and Martin confirmed to me that I would be captain for the tour but he did say that he had every intention of using every player on the trip during the tournament. That meant every player could expect to be substituted or be a substitute over the 10 days away, without exception! (Ouch - he wasn’t a Tank Commander during WW2 for nothing!) but a reasonable approach given the unique experience this trip would give to the girls. To most of us it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
This trip has to be put in context. In the modern era it is easy to dismiss a trip to Japan as just another holiday destination. Back in 1981, the world was not only a different place but a much bigger place. Japan was a place that only existed in films. In 1981, a girl from northern backwater could only dream of a visiting there. To me it was not just another country or another world, it was another planet!
The 6 month long Portopia Festival had been established to celebrate the completion of the construction of a new town on reclaimed land in Kobe, Japan.
For the first time, as a squad, we agreed an official uniform for the trip should be worn, a skirt, a blouse and a blazer. Of course, this was an expense which would have to be met by the players, but it helped establish a feeling of professional pride.
Also, as a squad, we had agreed to attend two training weekends in the lead up to the Festival. As all the squad members will tell you, Martin was an absolute stickler for fitness. Fail to meet the expected standards and he became ruthless, your England days were numbered despite our amateur status!
The first would be held in Richmond on Thames on 1st/2nd of August where we had coaching sessions each morning/early afternoon and then played a match against a South of England Representative side each afternoon. The second was held in Leicester on 22nd/23rd August, again with a similar format, coaching followed by matches against a Midlands Representative side two days running. Then back to work the following day on the Monday morning.
However, the sting in the tail was that due to the lack of available finances at the WFA, a lack of sponsorship and disinterest from the FA, we had the pressure of self-funding these two training weekends as well.
Given the financial situation of many of the girls, this was turning out to be a considerable cash liability and was a real ask of individuals. Couple that with the fact that in footballing terms this meant no real ‘close season’. Players were asked to keep training as best they could after the season, throughout June, July and August to maintain our fitness to play the tournament. Of course we would then return home and go straight into the domestic season!
In addition, many of the girls had to forgo family holidays and, given it was a 10 day trip to the other side of the world, possibly beg their employers for extra time off work. It became a significant sacrifice for each and every one of us.
Back home the news in the press started to relay the significance of the trip to the women’s game, although these tended to restricted to the more local and regional papers and not the large nationals.
Of course the visual media displayed their usual and distinct lack of interest.
For some years discussions had been held about a World Cup for Women. Whilst I didn’t know what was being discussed, it had already assumed an unofficial name Mundialito or ‘Little World Cup’ without a ball being kicked. Of course every international woman player of every nation wished for it and it was not until early 1981 that rumours started to circulate that we (England) were to be invited to a Football Festival that would include teams from around the world. What’s more, the Japanese had made a suggestion ahead of Italy, as part of the 1981 Kobe Portopia Festival.
By June 1981 I had become an England regular (to date) with 28 consecutive caps to my name (23 as captain) and having led England into two previous tournaments (the Home Internationals in 1975 and the 1979 Unofficial European Cup).
Whilst many would assume my position was secure, as every international player will tell you, we never take anything for granted. The lead up to each and every international match had its dread, but given the era and location, this was dread on steroids! Had I done enough over recent internationals to warrant selection? Had I performed consistently over the league programme to warrant selection? Had I done enough in the Regional Trials competition? Would I be picked for the squad? Would I play in the tournament?
Add to this the new England manager, Martin Reagan, who had been appointed in late 1979, had only 5 internationals in charge. In effect all the established players were still trying to prove ourselves to him and justify our inclusion in his squads, whilst he was openly lauding the skills and potential of the youngsters starting to emerge around the country. Indeed this tournament would see Martin experiment with his selections, players and formations, as well as introducing new and unique styles of play.
A couple of days after my birthday I received my selection letter.
Phew! I had been selected and Martin confirmed to me that I would be captain for the tour but he did say that he had every intention of using every player on the trip during the tournament. That meant every player could expect to be substituted or be a substitute over the 10 days away, without exception! (Ouch - he wasn’t a Tank Commander during WW2 for nothing!) but a reasonable approach given the unique experience this trip would give to the girls. To most of us it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
This trip has to be put in context. In the modern era it is easy to dismiss a trip to Japan as just another holiday destination. Back in 1981, the world was not only a different place but a much bigger place. Japan was a place that only existed in films. In 1981, a girl from northern backwater could only dream of a visiting there. To me it was not just another country or another world, it was another planet!
The 6 month long Portopia Festival had been established to celebrate the completion of the construction of a new town on reclaimed land in Kobe, Japan.
For the first time, as a squad, we agreed an official uniform for the trip should be worn, a skirt, a blouse and a blazer. Of course, this was an expense which would have to be met by the players, but it helped establish a feeling of professional pride.
Also, as a squad, we had agreed to attend two training weekends in the lead up to the Festival. As all the squad members will tell you, Martin was an absolute stickler for fitness. Fail to meet the expected standards and he became ruthless, your England days were numbered despite our amateur status!
The first would be held in Richmond on Thames on 1st/2nd of August where we had coaching sessions each morning/early afternoon and then played a match against a South of England Representative side each afternoon. The second was held in Leicester on 22nd/23rd August, again with a similar format, coaching followed by matches against a Midlands Representative side two days running. Then back to work the following day on the Monday morning.
However, the sting in the tail was that due to the lack of available finances at the WFA, a lack of sponsorship and disinterest from the FA, we had the pressure of self-funding these two training weekends as well.
Given the financial situation of many of the girls, this was turning out to be a considerable cash liability and was a real ask of individuals. Couple that with the fact that in footballing terms this meant no real ‘close season’. Players were asked to keep training as best they could after the season, throughout June, July and August to maintain our fitness to play the tournament. Of course we would then return home and go straight into the domestic season!
In addition, many of the girls had to forgo family holidays and, given it was a 10 day trip to the other side of the world, possibly beg their employers for extra time off work. It became a significant sacrifice for each and every one of us.
Back home the news in the press started to relay the significance of the trip to the women’s game, although these tended to restricted to the more local and regional papers and not the large nationals.
Of course the visual media displayed their usual and distinct lack of interest.
© Carol Thomas
|
My call up letter © Carol Thomas
|
Extract from my itinerary © Carol Thomas
|
© Carol Thomas
|
The Trip and Competition
Our party consisted of 6 officials, with Pat Gregory (Chef de Mission), Flo Bilton (Assistant), Annabel Hennessy (Officer), a Team Doctor, Tony Brightwell (Squad Physio) and Martin Reagan (Squad Manager) with 16 players. The flight on 2nd September took us over the North Pole via Anchorage, Alaska, onto Osaka, then Kobe.
On arrival the first thing to hit us was the humidity. Acclimatisation was going to be essential. Training in heat, ie interval training - building up the length of each period of exertion over a number of days, rehydration, rehydration mixes and the prolific use of ‘salt tablets’ were not just a must but were key to survival.
The Japanese had spared no expense in staging the tournament. Each squad member was given a track suit, two kits (shirts, shorts, socks) for the two games each team were to play. And, every player was given a pair of (well-known Japanese brand) trainers and boots (some of the best I had the pleasure on playing in, it has to be said), a tee shirt and a personal kit/travel bag.
The Japanese had not quite mastered the traditional way of shirt numbering. The Japanese had adopted a ‘semi squad’ based numbering system. Each player would get a number and retain it for the tournament, much like the modern era. However, back in the day, the team starting a match would traditionally be numbered 1 to 11, with the goalkeeper firmly entrenched in the Number 1 shirt! As right back, I had assumed I would receive the number 2 shirt. Not so, typical Japanese, they had adopted an alphabetical list of numbering, so A to Z became 1 to 16. So, with Thomas being well down the alphabet , for the first and only time in my England career, I wore a number that was so big, I got altitude sickness, that of an attacking inside forward (ask your grandad, lol), the number 10 shirt.
The games themselves were played late in the evening to avoid the worst of the humidity in front of massive crowds for the day. Our game against Japan was played in front of 30,000 and was televised live across Japan on the night.
Our performances were not the best it has to be said. However, I always maintain that given the new introductions to the squad, a relatively new manager, the change in playing style, squad rotation and the humidity, I believe we did well.
We finished third behind the eventual winners Italy and runners up Denmark. Sadly it wasn't a true round robin tournament so we never got a chance to redeem ourselves against the mighty Italians after the Denmark loss.
Our party consisted of 6 officials, with Pat Gregory (Chef de Mission), Flo Bilton (Assistant), Annabel Hennessy (Officer), a Team Doctor, Tony Brightwell (Squad Physio) and Martin Reagan (Squad Manager) with 16 players. The flight on 2nd September took us over the North Pole via Anchorage, Alaska, onto Osaka, then Kobe.
On arrival the first thing to hit us was the humidity. Acclimatisation was going to be essential. Training in heat, ie interval training - building up the length of each period of exertion over a number of days, rehydration, rehydration mixes and the prolific use of ‘salt tablets’ were not just a must but were key to survival.
The Japanese had spared no expense in staging the tournament. Each squad member was given a track suit, two kits (shirts, shorts, socks) for the two games each team were to play. And, every player was given a pair of (well-known Japanese brand) trainers and boots (some of the best I had the pleasure on playing in, it has to be said), a tee shirt and a personal kit/travel bag.
The Japanese had not quite mastered the traditional way of shirt numbering. The Japanese had adopted a ‘semi squad’ based numbering system. Each player would get a number and retain it for the tournament, much like the modern era. However, back in the day, the team starting a match would traditionally be numbered 1 to 11, with the goalkeeper firmly entrenched in the Number 1 shirt! As right back, I had assumed I would receive the number 2 shirt. Not so, typical Japanese, they had adopted an alphabetical list of numbering, so A to Z became 1 to 16. So, with Thomas being well down the alphabet , for the first and only time in my England career, I wore a number that was so big, I got altitude sickness, that of an attacking inside forward (ask your grandad, lol), the number 10 shirt.
The games themselves were played late in the evening to avoid the worst of the humidity in front of massive crowds for the day. Our game against Japan was played in front of 30,000 and was televised live across Japan on the night.
Our performances were not the best it has to be said. However, I always maintain that given the new introductions to the squad, a relatively new manager, the change in playing style, squad rotation and the humidity, I believe we did well.
We finished third behind the eventual winners Italy and runners up Denmark. Sadly it wasn't a true round robin tournament so we never got a chance to redeem ourselves against the mighty Italians after the Denmark loss.
The England Squad line up © Carol Thomas
|
The Japanese Squad line up © Carol Thomas
|
Lasting Memories
With the passage of 39 years since the trip and the benefit of 64 years of life, it is not the results, performances or our tournament position that I remember vividly.
When I reflect on the trip as a footballing experience, for me, I became the first England Women’s Captain to lead an England side outside of the European continent. Something I am immensely proud of.
For the recognition of the English Women’s team and the development English Women’s Game as a whole, I also now realise that Martin had one eye firmly fixed on the future. He was indeed assessing all the players, including those who didn’t make the trip. His goal was to create and develop a squad with a style of play which would both suit the players available whilst realistically able to compete for the next European Competition (1982-1984) and the Mundialito’s of 1984 and 1985.
His aim was always to further the Women’s Game and get it into the mainstream. In that era, that could only be achieved by success on the pitch. Given what that squad achieved in 1984 and 1985, I think the trip can be deemed an outstanding success. The roots of those successes were firmly sown in 1981 in Japan. We were building on the foundation we had laid in the 1970’s and starting to make a difference.
At a personal level, one of the first memories that spring to mind is the attention to detail and organisation.
Everything was done to perfection and every player in every team was catered for in every way possible.
I also remember the sights, smells and sounds of an extremely busy nation, with lots of traffic in towns and extreme humidity. But, my fondest memories are beyond that. They are the beautiful and incredibly clean, litter free country with very welcoming people and extremely polite and respectful cultured society. Japan was a truly inspirational place, with some of my fondest memories.
For the whole experience, I have to thank the WFA, its officers and staff and, not forgetting, Martin Reagan for giving me that once in a lifetime opportunity.
With the passage of 39 years since the trip and the benefit of 64 years of life, it is not the results, performances or our tournament position that I remember vividly.
When I reflect on the trip as a footballing experience, for me, I became the first England Women’s Captain to lead an England side outside of the European continent. Something I am immensely proud of.
For the recognition of the English Women’s team and the development English Women’s Game as a whole, I also now realise that Martin had one eye firmly fixed on the future. He was indeed assessing all the players, including those who didn’t make the trip. His goal was to create and develop a squad with a style of play which would both suit the players available whilst realistically able to compete for the next European Competition (1982-1984) and the Mundialito’s of 1984 and 1985.
His aim was always to further the Women’s Game and get it into the mainstream. In that era, that could only be achieved by success on the pitch. Given what that squad achieved in 1984 and 1985, I think the trip can be deemed an outstanding success. The roots of those successes were firmly sown in 1981 in Japan. We were building on the foundation we had laid in the 1970’s and starting to make a difference.
At a personal level, one of the first memories that spring to mind is the attention to detail and organisation.
Everything was done to perfection and every player in every team was catered for in every way possible.
I also remember the sights, smells and sounds of an extremely busy nation, with lots of traffic in towns and extreme humidity. But, my fondest memories are beyond that. They are the beautiful and incredibly clean, litter free country with very welcoming people and extremely polite and respectful cultured society. Japan was a truly inspirational place, with some of my fondest memories.
For the whole experience, I have to thank the WFA, its officers and staff and, not forgetting, Martin Reagan for giving me that once in a lifetime opportunity.
Photo credit to David Hanley
|
My personalised meal coupons! © Carol Thomas
|
Copyright © Carol Thomas, All Rights Reserved
David Hanley
David Hanley is currently compiling a history of Japanese women's football in the 20th century.
David Hanley is currently compiling a history of Japanese women's football in the 20th century.
News of schoolgirls forming teams in the 1960s excited the media, and the players at Kobe College, featured here on the cover of the 23 December 1966 issue Asahi Graph, were also featured on radio and television. |
The first Chicken League winners, Jissen Women’s University, take on Nishiyama High School, first Kansai League champions and later the first national schools’ champions, in 1977. |
The organisation of women’s football in Japan developed significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. Leagues were run on a local or regional basis, and an unofficial annual national championship was first held in early 1976. In 1979, the Japan Football Association (JFA) began registering women’s teams and their players, and it also established its own official championship.
While the JFA provided funding for women’s activities, they left the day-to-day organisation of women’s football to the newly founded Japan Women’s Football Federation (JWFF), whose members had already been running the sport for some years. As a result, the JWFF was largely free to organise competitions as they saw fit, and until the 1981 season (which began in April), teams competing in the All Japan Championship and most regional leagues fielded only eight players. The ball used was smaller than the regular size, and the pitches were also smaller. The main reason for this situation was that most senior players were in their early teens, and playing for ninety minutes on full-sized pitches would have been too much to ask of them.
Aside from domestic football, the JWFF also endeavoured to organise a national team. Although women had played football in east and southeast Asia since the early 20th century, the sustained organisation of competitions (especially international matches) did not develop until the 1960s. In 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime minister of Malaya (and after the forming of Malaysia in 1963, its first prime minister) decided to arrange women’s matches to raise funds for charity. The matches were a great success, and the Tunku encouraged the founding of teams across the country. His wife, Tun Sharifah Rodziah, thereafter took responsibility for developing women’s football, and in 1965, she led a representative team to Hong Kong, where they would play the first international matches in Asia. To prepare a side for the event, the Hong Kong FA approached Veronica Chan, a businesswoman involved in men’s football with her husband, to organise a team. The better-prepared Malaysian side won all three matches held, but the more important outcome was that Veronica Chan became wholly devoted to the promotion of women’s football — over the coming decades she would spend enormous sums of her own money to ensure the sport’s growth.
In 1968, the Asian Ladies Football Confederation was founded, with Sharifah Rodziah as president and Veronica Chan acting as one of three vice-presidents. Little progress was made until 1974, when Chan became president (Sharifah Rodziah became honorary president) and a number of new members joined, bringing the total to eight: Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia (actually just New South Wales), Indonesia, Thailand, and New Zealand. Six of the eight members met in Hong Kong for the first Asian Cup Women’s Football Championship (Indonesia and Taiwan did not) in August 1975. The winners, who never again took part, were New Zealand.
The ALFC thereafter held their Asian Cup tournament at roughly two-year intervals, though not without difficulties. Neither FIFA nor the Asian Football Confederation would incorporate the organisation, and both sought to disrupt its activities. An additional problem, which would take some years to resolve, was that many countries, including Japan, did not maintain formal relations with Taiwan.
Prior to the founding of the JWFF in 1979, the JFA had not endeavoured to form a national side, though they did give Tokyo’s FC Jinnan, the first club team founded in Japan (in 1972) permission to take part in the Asian Cup in 1977. The players, who wore the national flag on their sleeves rather than on their chests, were beaten by both Taiwan and Indonesia, but they were most appreciative of the chance to travel overseas, to meet fellow players from elsewhere in Asia, and to gain an appreciation of the wider world.
No Japanese team travelled to the third Asian Cup, but by the time of the fourth tournament, held in June 1981, the JWFF was ready to send an official team for the first time. The trip was not without its issues — the JFA refused to provide any financial backing, and only through a combination of funding from overseas foundations, sponsors, and the players themselves, was participation possible at all. Japan’s entry onto the international stage prompted a change in domestic football, as eleven-a-side matches on full-sized pitches became the norm. Not everything changed — the players still used a smaller-than-standard ball, and matches were far from ninety minutes in length — but these deviations from standard football would also disappear over the coming years.
The Japanese were disappointed with their performances at 1981’s Asian Cup, with just one win over Indonesia providing some cheer. They lost to the two eventual finalists, Taiwan and Thailand. What most concerned the players and coaches was that the Japanese players were not only technically inferior to the neighbours, but also physically inferior, and players from farther afield were hardly likely to be any smaller or weaker.
Having entered international competition, the JWFF’s next mission was the successful hosting of an international tournament in Japan, and the first chance to do so would come in September of that same year. However, the suggestion that the country should host such as tournament had first been made in January 1980, when three influential journalists had discussed the possibility of inviting overseas teams in a leading football magazine. One of the journalists involved was Kagawa Hiroshi, a proud native of Kobe City in Hyōgo Prefecture, and he insisted that 1981’s Portopia Exposition, an event to celebrate the construction of the world’s largest artificial island, would provide an ideal backdrop for such an occasion.
The chairman of Hyōgo Prefecture’s football association, Takasago Yoshiyuki, travelled to England and watched the home side play out a 1−1 draw with Sweden in Leicester on 17 September 1980. He was impressed by the large number of spectators and by the use of standard FIFA rules. Takasago felt that it would be most desirable if the advances made by women in England and elsewhere in Europe could be emulated by the Japanese, and the JFA agreed. On 22 January, they announced that England, Italy, and Denmark had accepted invitations to visit Japan.
The three European teams were certainly among the best in the world at this time. Denmark had won the unofficial European Championship in 1979, beating hosts Italy in the final match. England finished fourth, losing on penalties to Sweden in a playoff match for third place. Each team would play two games, and there was never any suggestion that it would be a round-robin tournament.
The first matches would be held on 6 September in Kobe. Italy would play Denmark, and Japan would take on England. In Tokyo, on 9 September, Japan would play Italy, and Denmark would play England. The matches would be eighty minutes long, and they would use standard-sized balls and eleven players per side.
While the JFA provided funding for women’s activities, they left the day-to-day organisation of women’s football to the newly founded Japan Women’s Football Federation (JWFF), whose members had already been running the sport for some years. As a result, the JWFF was largely free to organise competitions as they saw fit, and until the 1981 season (which began in April), teams competing in the All Japan Championship and most regional leagues fielded only eight players. The ball used was smaller than the regular size, and the pitches were also smaller. The main reason for this situation was that most senior players were in their early teens, and playing for ninety minutes on full-sized pitches would have been too much to ask of them.
Aside from domestic football, the JWFF also endeavoured to organise a national team. Although women had played football in east and southeast Asia since the early 20th century, the sustained organisation of competitions (especially international matches) did not develop until the 1960s. In 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime minister of Malaya (and after the forming of Malaysia in 1963, its first prime minister) decided to arrange women’s matches to raise funds for charity. The matches were a great success, and the Tunku encouraged the founding of teams across the country. His wife, Tun Sharifah Rodziah, thereafter took responsibility for developing women’s football, and in 1965, she led a representative team to Hong Kong, where they would play the first international matches in Asia. To prepare a side for the event, the Hong Kong FA approached Veronica Chan, a businesswoman involved in men’s football with her husband, to organise a team. The better-prepared Malaysian side won all three matches held, but the more important outcome was that Veronica Chan became wholly devoted to the promotion of women’s football — over the coming decades she would spend enormous sums of her own money to ensure the sport’s growth.
In 1968, the Asian Ladies Football Confederation was founded, with Sharifah Rodziah as president and Veronica Chan acting as one of three vice-presidents. Little progress was made until 1974, when Chan became president (Sharifah Rodziah became honorary president) and a number of new members joined, bringing the total to eight: Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia (actually just New South Wales), Indonesia, Thailand, and New Zealand. Six of the eight members met in Hong Kong for the first Asian Cup Women’s Football Championship (Indonesia and Taiwan did not) in August 1975. The winners, who never again took part, were New Zealand.
The ALFC thereafter held their Asian Cup tournament at roughly two-year intervals, though not without difficulties. Neither FIFA nor the Asian Football Confederation would incorporate the organisation, and both sought to disrupt its activities. An additional problem, which would take some years to resolve, was that many countries, including Japan, did not maintain formal relations with Taiwan.
Prior to the founding of the JWFF in 1979, the JFA had not endeavoured to form a national side, though they did give Tokyo’s FC Jinnan, the first club team founded in Japan (in 1972) permission to take part in the Asian Cup in 1977. The players, who wore the national flag on their sleeves rather than on their chests, were beaten by both Taiwan and Indonesia, but they were most appreciative of the chance to travel overseas, to meet fellow players from elsewhere in Asia, and to gain an appreciation of the wider world.
No Japanese team travelled to the third Asian Cup, but by the time of the fourth tournament, held in June 1981, the JWFF was ready to send an official team for the first time. The trip was not without its issues — the JFA refused to provide any financial backing, and only through a combination of funding from overseas foundations, sponsors, and the players themselves, was participation possible at all. Japan’s entry onto the international stage prompted a change in domestic football, as eleven-a-side matches on full-sized pitches became the norm. Not everything changed — the players still used a smaller-than-standard ball, and matches were far from ninety minutes in length — but these deviations from standard football would also disappear over the coming years.
The Japanese were disappointed with their performances at 1981’s Asian Cup, with just one win over Indonesia providing some cheer. They lost to the two eventual finalists, Taiwan and Thailand. What most concerned the players and coaches was that the Japanese players were not only technically inferior to the neighbours, but also physically inferior, and players from farther afield were hardly likely to be any smaller or weaker.
Having entered international competition, the JWFF’s next mission was the successful hosting of an international tournament in Japan, and the first chance to do so would come in September of that same year. However, the suggestion that the country should host such as tournament had first been made in January 1980, when three influential journalists had discussed the possibility of inviting overseas teams in a leading football magazine. One of the journalists involved was Kagawa Hiroshi, a proud native of Kobe City in Hyōgo Prefecture, and he insisted that 1981’s Portopia Exposition, an event to celebrate the construction of the world’s largest artificial island, would provide an ideal backdrop for such an occasion.
The chairman of Hyōgo Prefecture’s football association, Takasago Yoshiyuki, travelled to England and watched the home side play out a 1−1 draw with Sweden in Leicester on 17 September 1980. He was impressed by the large number of spectators and by the use of standard FIFA rules. Takasago felt that it would be most desirable if the advances made by women in England and elsewhere in Europe could be emulated by the Japanese, and the JFA agreed. On 22 January, they announced that England, Italy, and Denmark had accepted invitations to visit Japan.
The three European teams were certainly among the best in the world at this time. Denmark had won the unofficial European Championship in 1979, beating hosts Italy in the final match. England finished fourth, losing on penalties to Sweden in a playoff match for third place. Each team would play two games, and there was never any suggestion that it would be a round-robin tournament.
The first matches would be held on 6 September in Kobe. Italy would play Denmark, and Japan would take on England. In Tokyo, on 9 September, Japan would play Italy, and Denmark would play England. The matches would be eighty minutes long, and they would use standard-sized balls and eleven players per side.
Upon graduating, a number of Jissen graduates formed FC PAF. Here, in March 1989, they take on the first unofficial national collegiate champions, the Hyogo University of Teacher Education.
|
The Italian and Japanese teams pose before their first meeting in 1981. The two sides would play each other six times over the next five years. Italy won every match.
|
Japan’s national champions were Shimizu Daihachi Sports Club from Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan. The best of the country’s remaining teams were based either in Tokyo or in the western Kansai region — specifically in the cities of Kyoto, Kobe, and Takatsuki. As the first match would be played in Kobe, the best of Shimizu Daihachi’s players would be joined by representatives of the Kansai teams. For the match in Tokyo, Shimizu Daihachi’s players would be joined by some of the capital’s finest players. The team was managed by Ichihara Seiki, who had led Nishiyama High School in Kyoto to three successive unofficial national championship titles.
The visiting teams travelled with squads of sixteen members. England’s squad was well balanced with regard to age, with teenagers such as Gillian Coultard and Angela Gallimore complemented by a number of more experienced players, such as Sheila Parker, Terry Irvine, Christine Hutchinson, and Maureen Reynolds. Like the English, the Danes had a good spread of players in their twenties, with a late replacement, Inger Pedersen the senior squad member at thirty-one. The greatest source of fascination for the Japanese spectators and press were the Italians, and in particular the twenty-seven-year-old Elisabetta Vignotto and Carolina Morace, who was seventeen. The remaining squad members were largely in their late teens to mid-twenties.
Denmark 1−1 Italy (Attendance: 4,000~5,000)
The tournament’s opening match between Denmark and Italy ended in a 1−1 draw. Denmark defended ferociously and attacked well down both wings. Inger Pedersen scored the lead goal after thirty-two minutes, volleying home a cross from Lone Smidt Hansen. In the second half, the Danes pushed hard for a second goal, but Italian goalkeeper Daniela Sogliani was in fine form and dealt well with the danger.
At the other end of the field, Vignotto became increasingly more confident and chances began to come her way. She equalised on sixty-five minutes with a tremendous strike from about twenty metres out, with Ornella Montesi intercepting a poor Danish clearance to start the move. Thereafter, chances fell to Denmark’s Susanne Niemann and to Italy’s half-time substitute Carolina Morace, though neither could find a goal to win the game.
Japan 0−4 England (Attendance: 7,000)
Japan’s starting lineup for their first game featured seven players from Shimizu Daihachi, two from Kobe FC, and one each from Takatsuki Women FC and Nishiyama High School. The team was very young — thirteen of the fifteen players who played were still in school, and the senior members were twenty-one years of age. Kubo Emiko, who made an appearance as a substitute, remains the youngest player to ever make an official appearance for Japan at 14 years and 262 days, and this record is unlikely to be surpassed. Iwaya Mihoko started in goal, behind Yamaguchi Sayuri, Kaneda Shiho, Jajima Nobuko, and Shiraishi Masuyo. In midfield were Kioka Futaba, Kakinami Kaoru, and Kaji Mayumi. The most unusual aspect of Japan’s starting lineup was that Honda Midori played in a forward position alongside Kaneda Miho and Handa Etsuko.
For England, Terry Wiseman played in goal, behind Carol Thomas, Angela Gallimore, Sheila Parker, and Linda Coffin; Linda Curl, Debbie Bampton, and Liz Deighan started in midfield; and Tracy Doe, Eileen Foreman, and Janet Turner were the front three.
The spectators, who had increased in number to about 7,000, saw England entirely dominate the first forty minutes, and it was remarkable that Japan managed to go in at half-time still level. England had gone close, hitting the crossbar and the post within minutes of kick-off, and Iwaya had put in a commendable performance in goal.
England’s physical strength, pace, and accurate passing were ultimately too much for Japan to contain in the second half, and the visitors took the lead on forty-five minutes through Gallimore, who rose above Iwaya to head home Bampton’s free kick. Three minutes later, Gallimore scored again, this time capitalising on a poor defensive clearance. In the final ten minutes, England added another two goals to underline their superiority. Substitute Vicky Johnson scored with a shot over the head of Iwaya, who was short at only 160 cm, and Bampton scored the final goal from thirty metres out. Over the course of the eighty minutes, England outshot Japan by thirty-four to three, won twelve corner kicks (Japan won none), and were not once required to take a goal kick.
Japan 0−9 Italy (Attendance: 3,000)
Five of the seven Shimizu players retained their places for Japan’s match against Italy; Iwaya Mihoko and Kaneda Shiho were the two who were dropped. The only change made to the positions of the five players who started both matches was that Honda Midori was moved back into midfield. Hase Chieko took over from Iwaya in goal, behind Yamaguchi Sayuri, Kondō Nobuko, Ōhara Tomoko, and Iwata Akemi; in midfield with Honda were Kioka Futaba and Mishima Sanae; and in attack were Yoshida Masako, Kaneda Miho, and Handa Etsuko.
Italy started with Daniela Sogliani in goal; and their back four were Ornella Montesi, Maria Sossella, Maria Mariotti, and Maura Furlotti; in midfield were Elisabetta Saldi, Carolina Morace, and Nazzarena Grilli; and in attack were Elisabetta Vignotto, Stefania Bandini, and Elisabetta Secci.
The use of more senior Tokyo League players did not necessarily strengthen the team, as their abilities roughly matched those of the Kansai players. Furthermore, as the Tokyo players were generally shorter and lighter than those they had replaced, no advantage was gained in terms of physicality. However, Japan did not lose to either Italy or England because of their size; the simple fact was that they were not yet good enough to compete with such superior opposition.
Italy showed very quickly just how well they could play, and after twenty-three minutes they were already five goals clear. For the first fifteen minutes Japan held on desperately, but once the first goal went in, there was no stopping the visitors. Secci scored that opening goal, with Vignotto providing the short pass to set her up. Seconds later an own goal doubled Italy’s lead. The next three goals, which came in the twentieth, twenty-first, and twenty-third minutes, all came from dead ball situations. A corner kick set up Morace for the third goal of the night, and Saldi scored both of the next two. For the first, she got on the end of a free kick; for the second, she headed in from a corner kick.
Eleven minutes after half-time, substitute Sandra Pierazzuoli capitalised on a mistake by Hase for the sixth goal, and she scored again on sixty-eight minutes, heading in another corner kick. In between these goals, Vignotto scored from a penalty kick. With five minutes remaining, Vignotto scored her second goal and Italy’s ninth, with Grilli supplying the final ball.
Denmark 1−0 England (Attendance: 3,000)
The match between Denmark and England was another good opportunity for the Japanese crowd, of about three thousand spectators, to see high calibre football. Denmark were again tough in defence, particularly in their marking of forward Janet Turner (who had taken more shots than anyone in England’s match against Japan), and going forward Charlotte Nielsen-Mann’s speed was a constant cause of concern for England’s back line.
Denmark won the game by a goal to nil. As in the Danes’ first game against Italy, Inger Pedersen scored with Lone Smidt Hansen supplying the final ball.
Although Japan had been well beaten in both games, the players said that they had benefitted from the experience. Their performances clarified objectives for improving their play, and a further benefit was a new awareness of the sport among the general public. What was most obvious was that Japan’s players were never likely to match European players in terms of physique. What their two defeats showed was that the guiding principle for the future — a future that would ultimately lead to World Cup glory — was the need to develop highly skilled, thoroughly organised, and tactically aware players.
The visiting teams travelled with squads of sixteen members. England’s squad was well balanced with regard to age, with teenagers such as Gillian Coultard and Angela Gallimore complemented by a number of more experienced players, such as Sheila Parker, Terry Irvine, Christine Hutchinson, and Maureen Reynolds. Like the English, the Danes had a good spread of players in their twenties, with a late replacement, Inger Pedersen the senior squad member at thirty-one. The greatest source of fascination for the Japanese spectators and press were the Italians, and in particular the twenty-seven-year-old Elisabetta Vignotto and Carolina Morace, who was seventeen. The remaining squad members were largely in their late teens to mid-twenties.
Denmark 1−1 Italy (Attendance: 4,000~5,000)
The tournament’s opening match between Denmark and Italy ended in a 1−1 draw. Denmark defended ferociously and attacked well down both wings. Inger Pedersen scored the lead goal after thirty-two minutes, volleying home a cross from Lone Smidt Hansen. In the second half, the Danes pushed hard for a second goal, but Italian goalkeeper Daniela Sogliani was in fine form and dealt well with the danger.
At the other end of the field, Vignotto became increasingly more confident and chances began to come her way. She equalised on sixty-five minutes with a tremendous strike from about twenty metres out, with Ornella Montesi intercepting a poor Danish clearance to start the move. Thereafter, chances fell to Denmark’s Susanne Niemann and to Italy’s half-time substitute Carolina Morace, though neither could find a goal to win the game.
Japan 0−4 England (Attendance: 7,000)
Japan’s starting lineup for their first game featured seven players from Shimizu Daihachi, two from Kobe FC, and one each from Takatsuki Women FC and Nishiyama High School. The team was very young — thirteen of the fifteen players who played were still in school, and the senior members were twenty-one years of age. Kubo Emiko, who made an appearance as a substitute, remains the youngest player to ever make an official appearance for Japan at 14 years and 262 days, and this record is unlikely to be surpassed. Iwaya Mihoko started in goal, behind Yamaguchi Sayuri, Kaneda Shiho, Jajima Nobuko, and Shiraishi Masuyo. In midfield were Kioka Futaba, Kakinami Kaoru, and Kaji Mayumi. The most unusual aspect of Japan’s starting lineup was that Honda Midori played in a forward position alongside Kaneda Miho and Handa Etsuko.
For England, Terry Wiseman played in goal, behind Carol Thomas, Angela Gallimore, Sheila Parker, and Linda Coffin; Linda Curl, Debbie Bampton, and Liz Deighan started in midfield; and Tracy Doe, Eileen Foreman, and Janet Turner were the front three.
The spectators, who had increased in number to about 7,000, saw England entirely dominate the first forty minutes, and it was remarkable that Japan managed to go in at half-time still level. England had gone close, hitting the crossbar and the post within minutes of kick-off, and Iwaya had put in a commendable performance in goal.
England’s physical strength, pace, and accurate passing were ultimately too much for Japan to contain in the second half, and the visitors took the lead on forty-five minutes through Gallimore, who rose above Iwaya to head home Bampton’s free kick. Three minutes later, Gallimore scored again, this time capitalising on a poor defensive clearance. In the final ten minutes, England added another two goals to underline their superiority. Substitute Vicky Johnson scored with a shot over the head of Iwaya, who was short at only 160 cm, and Bampton scored the final goal from thirty metres out. Over the course of the eighty minutes, England outshot Japan by thirty-four to three, won twelve corner kicks (Japan won none), and were not once required to take a goal kick.
Japan 0−9 Italy (Attendance: 3,000)
Five of the seven Shimizu players retained their places for Japan’s match against Italy; Iwaya Mihoko and Kaneda Shiho were the two who were dropped. The only change made to the positions of the five players who started both matches was that Honda Midori was moved back into midfield. Hase Chieko took over from Iwaya in goal, behind Yamaguchi Sayuri, Kondō Nobuko, Ōhara Tomoko, and Iwata Akemi; in midfield with Honda were Kioka Futaba and Mishima Sanae; and in attack were Yoshida Masako, Kaneda Miho, and Handa Etsuko.
Italy started with Daniela Sogliani in goal; and their back four were Ornella Montesi, Maria Sossella, Maria Mariotti, and Maura Furlotti; in midfield were Elisabetta Saldi, Carolina Morace, and Nazzarena Grilli; and in attack were Elisabetta Vignotto, Stefania Bandini, and Elisabetta Secci.
The use of more senior Tokyo League players did not necessarily strengthen the team, as their abilities roughly matched those of the Kansai players. Furthermore, as the Tokyo players were generally shorter and lighter than those they had replaced, no advantage was gained in terms of physicality. However, Japan did not lose to either Italy or England because of their size; the simple fact was that they were not yet good enough to compete with such superior opposition.
Italy showed very quickly just how well they could play, and after twenty-three minutes they were already five goals clear. For the first fifteen minutes Japan held on desperately, but once the first goal went in, there was no stopping the visitors. Secci scored that opening goal, with Vignotto providing the short pass to set her up. Seconds later an own goal doubled Italy’s lead. The next three goals, which came in the twentieth, twenty-first, and twenty-third minutes, all came from dead ball situations. A corner kick set up Morace for the third goal of the night, and Saldi scored both of the next two. For the first, she got on the end of a free kick; for the second, she headed in from a corner kick.
Eleven minutes after half-time, substitute Sandra Pierazzuoli capitalised on a mistake by Hase for the sixth goal, and she scored again on sixty-eight minutes, heading in another corner kick. In between these goals, Vignotto scored from a penalty kick. With five minutes remaining, Vignotto scored her second goal and Italy’s ninth, with Grilli supplying the final ball.
Denmark 1−0 England (Attendance: 3,000)
The match between Denmark and England was another good opportunity for the Japanese crowd, of about three thousand spectators, to see high calibre football. Denmark were again tough in defence, particularly in their marking of forward Janet Turner (who had taken more shots than anyone in England’s match against Japan), and going forward Charlotte Nielsen-Mann’s speed was a constant cause of concern for England’s back line.
Denmark won the game by a goal to nil. As in the Danes’ first game against Italy, Inger Pedersen scored with Lone Smidt Hansen supplying the final ball.
Although Japan had been well beaten in both games, the players said that they had benefitted from the experience. Their performances clarified objectives for improving their play, and a further benefit was a new awareness of the sport among the general public. What was most obvious was that Japan’s players were never likely to match European players in terms of physique. What their two defeats showed was that the guiding principle for the future — a future that would ultimately lead to World Cup glory — was the need to develop highly skilled, thoroughly organised, and tactically aware players.
All Text & Images Copyright © David Hanley, All Rights Reserved
1982-84 UEFA Competition for National Representative Women's Teams (EUROS)
Part 1 - Qualification Group
Post Japan Blues
We had returned home from Japan, happy but not content. Happy because we had visited a distant exotic location, something that most of us would never do again in our lifetime. Not content because, we had not played our best. We had lost to Denmark 1-0, no mean feat given their standing in women’s football and despite the victory over the football fledging that was Japan, our performances and results were poor. We could easily blame jet lag, travel fatigue, humidity, the food, temperatures, and anything else you could think of. But the reality was that we were poor, we were much better than that, and we all knew it.
Some of the more senior players, myself included thought there would now be a mass cull. Given Martin’s (Reagan) glowing reports of the young players coming through in the regions and what he had just witnessed in Japan, was our time up?
Some of the more senior players, myself included thought there would now be a mass cull. Given Martin’s (Reagan) glowing reports of the young players coming through in the regions and what he had just witnessed in Japan, was our time up?
England before the 2-0 defeat against Italy
11th June 1982 Pescara
(Several of this side would not make the final 14 in 1984)
Progress, what progress?
The next 12 months are not my best memories as an England captain. We had 3 friendly games after Japan, 2 defeats and one draw and this was now my worst run of my England career. This run of games included all the footballing powerhouses of, not just Europe, but the world. (a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in Tokyo, a 3-0 defeat against Norway at Cambridge, a 1-1 draw against Sweden in Kinna and a 2-0 defeat to Italy).
Starting with the defeat against Denmark in Tokyo, we had scored only one goal in 4 matches/320 minutes of football (games were anywhere between 70 and 80 minutes in those days). What is worse, we had conceded 7 goals in this run, totally unacceptable. Terry (Wiseman) must have thought we outfield defenders had gone AWOL and without her, I am sure the damage would have been much worse.
We seemed to be going backwards as a team, or at best standing still whilst the others moved on. We felt we were letting everyone down, not just England, but Martin, all those tireless unpaid officers of the WFA who had fought so hard to establish the women's game, ourselves and, most importantly, the English women's game itself.
At a personal level, I had, for the first time, some doubts about my ability and position as an international player and captain. The results were not going for us and I genuinely expected the dreaded phone call, as every manager wants his own captain and to stamp his/her mark on their team.
The context to this tournament
The significance of this first tournament cannot be understated. It was new ground for women’s football. It was UEFA approved, official as you could get at the time and had brought structure to women’s international game. It would be a two year competition which would culminate in a 2 legged final in 1984. Matches would be played over 70 minutes with a size 4 ball. (after all, we fairer sex couldn’t possibly last 90 minutes with that huge size 5 ball. LOL)
I had led England in three previous tournaments. In 1976, we won the three cornered Home International Championship. In 1979, we competed in the 12 team Unofficial European Competition. We qualified from our group but lost 3-1 to Italy in the semi-final and lost to Sweden in the 3rd/4th playoff, on penalties. The third of my tournaments being, the unpolished displays in the Portopia tournament.
The tournament starts and England are reborn
On 19th September 1982, at Crewe we played the first game against Northern Ireland, a team England last played in 1973. Whilst they were not a recognised dominant European footballing force, they were internationals, had great players and had to be respected.
I didn’t know what to expect but a 7-1 victory was not in any of my dreams and certainly not a bad start to any tournament. It was our first victory in over a year and it was a massive relief. Little did we realise what was about to unfold over that qualifying group and beyond.
The next 12 months are not my best memories as an England captain. We had 3 friendly games after Japan, 2 defeats and one draw and this was now my worst run of my England career. This run of games included all the footballing powerhouses of, not just Europe, but the world. (a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in Tokyo, a 3-0 defeat against Norway at Cambridge, a 1-1 draw against Sweden in Kinna and a 2-0 defeat to Italy).
Starting with the defeat against Denmark in Tokyo, we had scored only one goal in 4 matches/320 minutes of football (games were anywhere between 70 and 80 minutes in those days). What is worse, we had conceded 7 goals in this run, totally unacceptable. Terry (Wiseman) must have thought we outfield defenders had gone AWOL and without her, I am sure the damage would have been much worse.
We seemed to be going backwards as a team, or at best standing still whilst the others moved on. We felt we were letting everyone down, not just England, but Martin, all those tireless unpaid officers of the WFA who had fought so hard to establish the women's game, ourselves and, most importantly, the English women's game itself.
At a personal level, I had, for the first time, some doubts about my ability and position as an international player and captain. The results were not going for us and I genuinely expected the dreaded phone call, as every manager wants his own captain and to stamp his/her mark on their team.
The context to this tournament
The significance of this first tournament cannot be understated. It was new ground for women’s football. It was UEFA approved, official as you could get at the time and had brought structure to women’s international game. It would be a two year competition which would culminate in a 2 legged final in 1984. Matches would be played over 70 minutes with a size 4 ball. (after all, we fairer sex couldn’t possibly last 90 minutes with that huge size 5 ball. LOL)
I had led England in three previous tournaments. In 1976, we won the three cornered Home International Championship. In 1979, we competed in the 12 team Unofficial European Competition. We qualified from our group but lost 3-1 to Italy in the semi-final and lost to Sweden in the 3rd/4th playoff, on penalties. The third of my tournaments being, the unpolished displays in the Portopia tournament.
The tournament starts and England are reborn
On 19th September 1982, at Crewe we played the first game against Northern Ireland, a team England last played in 1973. Whilst they were not a recognised dominant European footballing force, they were internationals, had great players and had to be respected.
I didn’t know what to expect but a 7-1 victory was not in any of my dreams and certainly not a bad start to any tournament. It was our first victory in over a year and it was a massive relief. Little did we realise what was about to unfold over that qualifying group and beyond.
Kerry Davis in action against Northern Ireland
The game itself was a light bulb moment. Things on the pitch, at last, just seem to fall into place. Everything Martin had been saying worked. It also just happened to be the game in which Martin unleashed the talent that was Kerry Davis. Her explosive entrance saw her net 2 of the goals in front of her home crowd.
Two weeks later we played Scotland up in Dumbarton. My personal record against them was won one, lost one, the defeat being over 4 years previous. That is a long wait for any footballer to address a bitter memory. We put in another great dominant performance. After 25 minutes we were 2-0 up and ran out worthy 4-0 victors, well…..really, Kerry Davis ran out the 4-0 victor having netted all four goals!
Our final game of 1981 saw us travel to Dublin in the 3rd qualifying game. In the 1970’s, “the troubles” had escalated and English visitors to all parts of the island of Ireland still had to exercise caution. So, we flew in on the Saturday, played Sunday afternoon, won 1-0 (Guess the scorer?) and flew out on the 8:30pm flight back to Heathrow. A whistle-stop tour if ever there was one.
The tournament resumed in 1983 with the reverse fixtures. We were brimming with confidence. In May we travelled to Belfast for the return game against Northern Ireland. The WFA reminded us that this could be a difficult trip, given the sectarian tensions that still existed, and the players were offered the opportunity to withdraw from the squad, without prejudice to future selection, if they were uncomfortable with the trip. As I remember, no one withdrew and it has to be said we were made very welcome in Belfast with the trip going off without any problems. Even better we ran out 4-0 winners, once again a clean sheet.
One week later, we arrived at Elland Road to take on Scotland. This was our 7th appearance on a professional ground. Our pride soon turned to dismay as the Elland Road pitch, sorry mud heap, was not worthy of a pigsty. It was obvious that the side that could remain upright the longest would prevail. Fortunately on that day, Scotland slid and slipped. Our 2-0 victory was in no small part due to Pat (Chapman) performing miracles on the day and meant we had qualified for the finals with a game to spare.
Two weeks later we played Scotland up in Dumbarton. My personal record against them was won one, lost one, the defeat being over 4 years previous. That is a long wait for any footballer to address a bitter memory. We put in another great dominant performance. After 25 minutes we were 2-0 up and ran out worthy 4-0 victors, well…..really, Kerry Davis ran out the 4-0 victor having netted all four goals!
Our final game of 1981 saw us travel to Dublin in the 3rd qualifying game. In the 1970’s, “the troubles” had escalated and English visitors to all parts of the island of Ireland still had to exercise caution. So, we flew in on the Saturday, played Sunday afternoon, won 1-0 (Guess the scorer?) and flew out on the 8:30pm flight back to Heathrow. A whistle-stop tour if ever there was one.
The tournament resumed in 1983 with the reverse fixtures. We were brimming with confidence. In May we travelled to Belfast for the return game against Northern Ireland. The WFA reminded us that this could be a difficult trip, given the sectarian tensions that still existed, and the players were offered the opportunity to withdraw from the squad, without prejudice to future selection, if they were uncomfortable with the trip. As I remember, no one withdrew and it has to be said we were made very welcome in Belfast with the trip going off without any problems. Even better we ran out 4-0 winners, once again a clean sheet.
One week later, we arrived at Elland Road to take on Scotland. This was our 7th appearance on a professional ground. Our pride soon turned to dismay as the Elland Road pitch, sorry mud heap, was not worthy of a pigsty. It was obvious that the side that could remain upright the longest would prevail. Fortunately on that day, Scotland slid and slipped. Our 2-0 victory was in no small part due to Pat (Chapman) performing miracles on the day and meant we had qualified for the finals with a game to spare.
We celebrate qualification to the finals at Elland Road
We had to wait another four months before we rounded off the qualifiers. By now I had moved on from CP Doncaster Ladies and joined Gill (Coultard) at Rowntree’s Ladies. There, we were managed by the England great, Pat Firth, whose career had tragically been cut short through a career ending knee injury. We could ‘relax’ and we cut loose at Reading. We ran out worthy 6-0 winners against the Republic of Ireland.
Linda Curl opens the scoring against Republic of Ireland (11 Sept 1983)
A Manager’s dream and a vision justified
We topped our qualifying group. Any manager in the world would take our record, of played 6, won 6, for 24 goals, against 1 goal, only marginally beaten by the Swedes record.
We topped our qualifying group. Any manager in the world would take our record, of played 6, won 6, for 24 goals, against 1 goal, only marginally beaten by the Swedes record.
We had become very, very miserly in defence and I liked it. Goals may win matches, but clean sheets mean no defeats.
That miserly base comprising of, Lorraine (Hanson). Angie (Gallimore), Maggie (Pearce) and myself, with the agile and acrobatic Terry (Wiseman) behind us, gave our midfielders of Liz (Deighan), Gill (Coultard) and Debbie (Bampton) time to create and our forwards Kerry (Davis), Linda (Curl) and Pat (Chapman) the confidence to go forward and play. We also had the experience of Sheila (Parker) and the young talents of Hope (Powell), Brenda (Sempare) and Terrey (Irvine) on the bench. We also had so much young talent lurking on the fringes, many of whom went onto stellar careers. This squad, including those fringe and young players coming through, in my eyes, had a side within it that was destined for success at some point in the future.
For me personally, I believe I was now coming into the some of the best form of my international career. I was with a club side that could compete on the national stage, I was training with Hull City U19 men and was incredibly fit for the era, I had an England manager who totally believed in me and I was totally comfortable with my England roles and everything that came with them.
That miserly base comprising of, Lorraine (Hanson). Angie (Gallimore), Maggie (Pearce) and myself, with the agile and acrobatic Terry (Wiseman) behind us, gave our midfielders of Liz (Deighan), Gill (Coultard) and Debbie (Bampton) time to create and our forwards Kerry (Davis), Linda (Curl) and Pat (Chapman) the confidence to go forward and play. We also had the experience of Sheila (Parker) and the young talents of Hope (Powell), Brenda (Sempare) and Terrey (Irvine) on the bench. We also had so much young talent lurking on the fringes, many of whom went onto stellar careers. This squad, including those fringe and young players coming through, in my eyes, had a side within it that was destined for success at some point in the future.
For me personally, I believe I was now coming into the some of the best form of my international career. I was with a club side that could compete on the national stage, I was training with Hull City U19 men and was incredibly fit for the era, I had an England manager who totally believed in me and I was totally comfortable with my England roles and everything that came with them.
The Danes, Swedes and Italians had also qualified. At that time Sweden were ranked No.1 in the world and we had never beaten them in our previous four meetings. The Danes were ranked a close 2nd and we had never beaten them in our three meetings and we had only beaten Italy once in 5 meetings, back in 1977. So, the teams that had caused us all those doubts pre-tournament were on a plate for us, with ‘official’ tournament silverware and a No.1 world ranking at stake.
As the saying goes, the scene was set, I was ready, England were ready, so let’s bring them on.
As the saying goes, the scene was set, I was ready, England were ready, so let’s bring them on.
(Copyright © Carol Thomas, All Rights Reserved – May 2020)
|
COPYRIGHT © JJHERITAGE 2016-2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
|
COMPANY NO. 10420106
|
|