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Mary Phillip

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Not to be confused with Mary Phillips.

Mary Phillip
Phillip playing for Arsenal in October 2006
Personal information
Full name Mary Rose Phillip
Date of birth (1977-03-14) 14 March 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Peckham, England
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Peckham Town (manager)
Youth career
Lambeth Ladies
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–2000 Millwall Lionesses
2000–2004 Fulham Ladies
2004–2008 Arsenal Ladies
2008 Chelsea Ladies
International career
1995–2008 England 65 (0)
Managerial career
2019– Peckham Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mary Rose Phillip (born 14 March 1977) is a former English international footballer and a football team manager who manages men's Kent County League team Peckham Town. A versatile player, she played in all four positions at the back and also in midfield. Phillip captained England, the first black player to captain an England women's international football team, and until 2011 was the only player to represent the country in two World Cup squads. During her playing career she had 65 international caps.[2] She enjoyed a successful club career with Millwall Lionesses, Fulham, Arsenal and Chelsea. After retiring as a player in 2008 she became a team coach and manager and in 2020 became the first female manager of a cup-winning men's senior side.

Early life

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Phillip was born and raised in Peckham[3] and is biracial.[4] Her father was a bus driver of Saint Lucian descent, and her mother was a primary school teacher of Irish origin.[5] Phillip was keen on football from childhood.[2]

Career

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Club career

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Phillip joined Millwall Lionesses as a 12-year-old, then moved to Fulham as a professional in 2000;[4][6] she was one of the first 16 UK women players to turn pro.[7]

Phillip became the club captain at Fulham, for whom she lifted The FA Women’s Cup in front of 10,000 fans and 1.9m viewers on BBC Television in May 2003, the season Fulham completed the treble.

Phillip’s strength and composure at the heart of defence brought reassurance to her teammates and she was always on hand to provide some advice to the younger members of the squad.

She was a strong player for Arsenal Ladies in central defence and was with the club for four years after joining from Fulham Ladies in July 2004. Her central defensive partnership with Faye White was key to Arsenal's unprecedented success, both domestically and in Europe.[8] At the end of the 2007–08 season it was announced that Phillip would be leaving Arsenal Ladies.[9] She later joined Chelsea Ladies in time for the start of the 2008–09 season. In October 2008 Phillip retired from football at the age of 31.[10]

International career

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Phillip made her England debut whilst with Millwall Lionesses, playing in the same team as future national coach Hope Powell in 1996.[11] As an 18-year-old she received an unexpected call-up to the 1995 World Cup squad;[12] she was pregnant at the time.[4][7] Phillip won six caps[13] then spent four years (1998–2002)[14] out of the international set-up while having her two sons.

She returned in early 2002 and subsequently captained England in two international friendlies against Sweden in February 2006 when Faye White was absent with an ankle injury, then again captained England in the absence of her teammate Faye White, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the start of the 2006/07 season, when they overcame France to secure passage to the World Cup in China.[15] She was the first black player to captain an England women's international side.[3][4][7][16]

After being named in the squad for China, Phillip became the first English player to feature in two World Cup squads.[7][17][18] In February 2008 Phillip was one of a record eight Arsenal players who started in England's 2–1 friendly win over Norway.[19] She won a total of 65 caps for the national side.[15]

She was allotted 114 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England’s inaugural international.[20][21]

Coach and manager

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After her retirement as a player in 2008, Phillip became a coach, completing her A licence in the 2010s.[3] In 2019 she became manager of Peckham Town, her local club, where she had coached first the Under-18s and then the senior squad; in 2020 they won the London Senior Trophy, the club's first cup win and the first for a senior men's side with a female manager.[3][7][16][22] In 2021, she will be assisting Lydia Bedford in coaching the England women's Under-18 team as part of the Elite Coach Placement Programme.[16]

Honours

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Player

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Arsenal

  • Women's Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
  • UEFA Women's Cup: 2006–07
  • FA Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
  • Premier League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07
  • Community Shield: 2005–06

Fulham

  • Women's Premier League: 2002–03
  • FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03
  • Premier League Cup: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03
  • Community Shield: 2002–03, 2003–04

Millwall Lionesses

  • FA Cup: 1996–97
  • Premier League Cup: 1996–97

Manager

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Peckham Town

  • London Senior Trophy: 2019–20

Honorary

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  • Inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame: October 2024 [23]

Personal life

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Phillip has two sons and two daughters.[3] She has multiple sclerosis, diagnosed in 2017.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "#6 Mary Phillip". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  2. ^ a b Slegg, Chris; Phillips, Owen. "Now you see her". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rachel Steinberg (27 November 2020). "How former England captain Mary Phillip is breaking boundaries and battling prejudice in Peckham". The Independent. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "A red card to stereotypes: Mary Phillip the first Black England football captain". Melanmag. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Stories From The 90's - JJ Heritage".
  6. ^ "Mary Phillip: Bend it like Peckham". Living South. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e Chris Slegg; Owen Phillips (7 May 2021). "Now you see her: A story about the competition no football club would host and the trailblazer it inspired". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  8. ^ Nick Callow (6 March 2005). "Vic's four-way streak can put Wenger in shade". The Independent. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  9. ^ "Mary Phillip leaves Arsenal Ladies". Arsenal F.C. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Contenders: Phillip". The Football Association. 31 December 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  11. ^ "READ UP ON TONIGHT'S ENGLAND STARS". Norwich City F.C. 23 July 2002. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  12. ^ Olga Mirzoian (17 August 2007). "Mary Phillip Q&A". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  13. ^ Tony Leighton (5 February 2002). "Powell follows Eriksson's example". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  14. ^ "Mary Phillip – Visiting Coach from London". Bermuda Soccer. Retrieved 14 September 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  15. ^ a b "Powell's tribute to Mary". The Football Association. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  16. ^ a b c "Phillip: Peckham's success shows women can progress in the men's game". FIFA. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  17. ^ Marcelo Leme de Arruda (19 August 2010). "World Cup Trivia – Participating as Player and as Coach". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  18. ^ "Powell reveals women's cup squad". BBC Sport. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  19. ^ "England's Gunners". The Football Association. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  20. ^ "England squad named for World Cup". The Football Association. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  21. ^ Lacey-Hatton, Jack (18 November 2022). "Lionesses introduce 'legacy numbers' for players past and present". mirror. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  22. ^ Tom Garry (26 February 2021). "'Nine out of ten opponents don't realise I'm the manager': Meet Peckham Town coach Mary Phillip". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Former Gunner Mary Phillip has been inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame". Arsenal FC. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
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