Timeline of Black-British and Mixed Heritage Players for the England Women’s National Team 1972-2021

1972 First official England women’s National Team formed by the Women’s Football Association (WFA), all players were amateurs.

Led by initially by captain Sheila Parker, first mother to captain England, and from

1974 Carol McCune, first woman to 50 caps

Kerry’s Dad has Caribbean heritage, and was part of the Windrush Generation,

serving in the Royal Air Force, Kerry’s Mum is white British and the family are based in Stoke Upon Trent.

Soon an integral part of the squad, Davis was a large part of England’s success in the inaugural UEFA Competition for National Representative Women’s Teams, held over two years, between 1982-4, scoring 12 goals in 10 games. In the finals England lost narrowly to Sweden on penalties, over a two legged final, with the second game played at Luton Town in 1984. Davis was one of the three England players to score her penalty in the penalty shootout, after Sweden and England drew at full time. Pia Sundhage went one better scoring the fourth penalty for Sweden, for the victory. Also playing professionally in Italy, you can read more about Kerry’s club and international career here.  She ended her 82 game career in 1998 with 44 goals, a record until overtaken by Kelly Smith more than ten years later.

Powell would achieve 66 caps, and Sempare at least half a century of caps, and both would go to England’s first Women’s World Cup in 1995. In 1998, Powell received an invitation to become the England Women’s National Coach role, full time, a first on several levels. As Hope wrote in her autobiography, she was just 31 years of age when asked to become manager, so her age was one factor, and in addition ‘In one fell swoop England got its first black manager, its first woman manager, and its first gay manager.’ Bearing in mind that the FA had been formed in 1863, and Hope Powell was appointed in 1998, it is possible to see what a change in the approach of the organization this was. You can read more about her career as a player and coach, and more about Brenda Sempare here.  In 2003 Powell became the first woman to be awarded the UEFA Pro Licence, by then she had been awarded her OBE and would receive the CBE in 2010.

Born in 1973 in Huddersfield, Sammy grew up with her Mum and sister, also having eight half brothers and sisters. Her father was Jamaican, one of the Windrush generation, who came to Britain, leaving family and friends behind. Sammy’s mum is white British. Sammy is very proud of her dual Jamaican and British heritage. Football suited Sammy’s competitive nature, and, she was soon called up to the England under 21 squad for a tournament in Bulgaria. On the trip to Fano, Denmark in June 1991 England, managed by Barrie Williams, debuted Samantha Britton, Samantha Hayward, Julie Tomlinson, Michelle Curley and Sarah Begg who was also to score her first goal for the national team in a 3-3 draw, along with Marieanne Spacey and Kaz Walker. Later Sammy played an integral and versatile role for the national side at Women’s World Cup in Sweden in 1995, a first for an England women’s team. In all, she would win over 60 caps, and you can read more of her story here.

Mary Phillip, of Peckham, is a pioneer on many levels in football. Mary’s Dad is part of the Windrush generation who came to England from St Lucia in 1962, and her mother hailed from Kerry in Southern Ireland. Her first England call up came at the same time as Millwall team-mate, Tina Lindsey, and her next call up was into the 1995 world cup squad in Sweden. This could not have been more exciting, as England had qualified for the Women’s World Cup for the first time in 1995. As part of the squad, led by Ted Copeland, Mary learned a lot from the experienced England players around her. After the birth of her first child in 1995, Mary was dedicated about regaining her fitness, and was rewarded with her England debut in 1996. In 2003 she was also asked to captain her country, on 13 November, against Scotland at Deepdale. After this first captaincy, there are regular occasions when Mary would take the armband, including on her 50th cap against France, where England secured passage to the 2007 Women’s World cup in China, making Mary the first England women’s player to reach two World Cups. You can read more about her career here.

After these pioneers, who we wanted to showcase though this research, others followed. Please note the following timeline is open to development, and is the reflection of the research to date, not definitive, as yet. Please do get in contact if you want to help.

2004 debuts of Eni Aluko, 2004-17, 102 caps, Anita Asante who retired in 2018, with 70 caps, and Alex Scott, who retired in 2017, with a then-record of 140 caps. You can read more about their careers here.

So, Rachel Yankey, Alex Scott, and Eniola Aluko are amongst England’s centurions. Half centurions include Kerry Davis, Brenda Sempare, Hope Powell, Mary Phillip, Samantha Britton, Anita Asante, Lianne Sanderson, Nikita Parris, Demi Stokes and Jess Clarke.

But you may well know more of our Black-British and mixed heritage pioneers, not covered here by this research, which was conducted from 10 October-21 October 2021. Please do get I touch and especially if you are willing to be interviewed for our Lionesses series. We are looking to develop our research all the time.