English Football Hall of Fame facts for kids
The English Football Hall of Fame is a special place at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England. It celebrates the best football players and managers from England, as well as important non-English players and managers who have made a big impact on English football. Every year, new members are added in a special ceremony. Since 2012, this ceremony has taken place at the Museum itself.
You can see the Hall of Fame at the Museum all the time. There's also a book called The Football Hall of Fame: The Official Guide to the Greatest Footballing Legends of All Time. It gets updated every year with new inductees and tells you all about their amazing careers.
Contents
Choosing the Stars: The Selection Panel
A group of people, called a panel, chooses who gets into the Hall of Fame. When it first started, this panel included famous ex-players like Jimmy Armfield and Sir Trevor Brooking. These players had become football experts or important figures in the sport after they stopped playing.
Now, the panel mostly includes expert football historians. Also, any living person who has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame gets a spot on the panel. Sometimes, fans even get to choose an inductee through polls on sports websites!
How It All Started: History of the Hall of Fame
When the Hall of Fame began, there were main categories for male 'Players' and 'Managers', and one for women's football. To be considered, players usually need to be retired or at least 30 years old. They also must have played or managed in England for at least five years.
In 2007, two new awards were created. These awards celebrate people who have helped English football in ways other than just playing on the field.
- The Community Champion award is for professional players who give their time and money to help local, amateur football.
- The Football for All Award celebrates people who have helped develop football for disabled players.
Since 2009, the Museum has also honored great teams from history. For a team to be inducted, they must have played at least 25 years ago. In 2013, the first referee, Jack Taylor, was inducted. In 2017, the first person from football media was honored.
Sometimes, special awards are given out for important anniversaries. For example, Jimmy Hill received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his many different roles in football. There is also a separate Premier League Hall of Fame which started in 2020, specifically for players who retired from the Premier League.
Amazing Players: Men's Inductees
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
| GK | Goalkeeper |
|---|---|
| DF | Defender |
| MF | Midfielder |
| FW | Forward |
Incredible Athletes: Women's Inductees
_(cropped).jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
| Year | Name | Caps | Goals | Pos. | Years | Clubs | Not. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 |  Lily Parr |
N/A | N/A | FW | 1919–1951 | Dick, Kerr Ladies | ||
| 2003 | Hope Powell |
66 | 35 | MF | 1978–1998 | Millwall Lionesses, Friends of Fulham, Bromley Borough | ||
| 2004 | Sue Lopez |
22 | 0 | DF | 1966–1985 | Southampton | ||
| 2005 | Debbie Bampton |
95 | 7 | MF | 1978–1997 | Lowestoft, Howbury Grange, Millwall Lionesses, Wimbledon, Arsenal Ladies, Croydon, Doncaster Rovers Belles | ||
| 2006 | Gillian Coultard |
119 | 30 | MF | 1976–2001 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | ||
| 2007 | Karen Walker |
83 | 40 | FW | 1985–2006 | Doncaster Rovers Belles, Leeds United Ladies | ||
| Joan Whalley |
1 | 0 | MF | 1937–1956 | Dick, Kerr Ladies | |||
| 2008 | Pauline Cope |
60 | 0 | GK | 1982–2006 | Millwall Lionesses, Arsenal Ladies, Charlton Athletic | ||
| 2009 | Marieanne Spacey |
91 | 28 | FW | 1984–1996 | Friends of Fulham, Arsenal Ladies | ||
| 2010 | Brenda Sempare |
8 | 0 | MF | 1984–1997 | Friends of Fulham, Croydon Ladies | ||
| 2013 | Sheila Parker |
33 | 0 | DF | 1961–1980 | Preston, Fodens, St. Helens, Chorley | ||
| 2014 | Sylvia Gore |
2 | 1 | MF | 1956–1980 | Manchester Corinthians, Fodens | ||
| 2015 | Faye White |
90 | 12 | DF | 1996–2013 | Arsenal Ladies | ||
| 2016 | Rachel Brown-Finnis |
82 | 0 | GK | 1995–2014 | Liverpool, Everton Ladies, Arsenal Ladies | ||
| Rachel Unitt |
102 | 8 | DF | 1998–2017 | Wolves Women, Everton Ladies, Fulham Ladies, Leeds City Vixens, Birmingham City, Notts County, Solihull Moors, London Bees | |||
| 2017 | Kelly Smith |
117 | 46 | FW | 1994–2017 | Wembley Ladies, Arsenal Ladies | ||
| Rachel Yankey |
129 | 19 | MF | 1996–2016 | Arsenal Ladies, Fulham Ladies, Birmingham Ladies, Notts County Ladies | |||
| 2019 | Alex Scott |
140 | 12 | DF | 2002–2018 | Arsenal Ladies, Birmingham City | ||
| 2021 | Karen Carney |
144 | 32 | MF | 2001–2019 | Birmingham City, Arsenal Ladies, Chelsea Women | ||
| Carol Thomas |
56 | 0 | DF | 1966–2009 | BOCM, Reckitts, Hull Brewery, Tottenham Hotspur, Preston Rangers, CP Doncaster, Rowntrees, AFC Preston, Brandesburton | |||
| 2022 | Kerry Davis |
82 | 44 | FW | 1982–1998 | Crewe Alexandra, ROI Lazio, Trani 80, Napoli, Liverpool, Croydon | ||
| 2023 | Jill Scott |
161 | 26 | MF | 2004–2022 | Sunderland Women, Everton Ladies, Manchester City Women, Aston Villa Women | ||
| 2024 | Steph Houghton |
121 | 13 | DF | 2002–2024 | Sunderland Women, Leeds Carnegie, Arsenal Ladies, Manchester City Women | ||
| Mary Phillip |
65 | 0 | DF | 1992–2008 | Millwall Lionesses, Fulham Ladies, Arsenal Ladies, Chelsea Ladies |
Great Leaders: Managers Inducted
Other Special Awards
The Hall of Fame also gives out other special awards.
- In 2004, Sepp Blatter, who was the president of FIFA (the world football organization), was inducted. He was the first person from outside English football to be honored.
- The Football Foundation Community Champion award started in 2007. The first winner was Niall Quinn. Other winners include Peter Beardsley and Graham Taylor.
- The Football for All Award also started in 2007. It honors pioneers in football for disabled people. Stephen Daley, a footballer who lost his vision, was the first winner. Later winners included David Clarke, captain of the Great Britain blind football team. Members of the England cerebral palsy team have also been honored.
Special awards are given out from time to time.
- In 2007, Sheffield F.C., the world's oldest football club, was celebrated for its 150th anniversary.
- In 2008, Michel Platini, then president of UEFA (European football organization), was honored.
- In 2013, Civil Service F.C., the only club still around from when the Football Association was officially formed in 1863, received an award. Ebenezer Cobb Morley, considered a founding father of the Football Association, was also inducted. William McGregor, who started the Football League, was honored too.
- In 2014, the Football Battalion, a group of footballers and fans who fought in a famous battle, were honored.
- In 2015, Sun Jihai, the first Chinese player in English football, was named "Anglo-Chinese Football Ambassador." This was a special award to help connect English football with a Chinese audience.
- In 2016, Cambridge University A.F.C. and Notts County F.C. were honored as some of the world's oldest football clubs.
Team awards began in 2008.
- Manchester United and Liverpool's teams that won the European Cup in 1968 and 1978 were the first to be inducted.
- Other famous teams like Manchester United's Busby Babes and the World Cup winning England squad have also been honored.
In 2013, a section for referees was created, with Jack Taylor being the first. In 2024, Rebecca Welch, the first woman to referee a Premier League match, was inducted. In 2017, a journalism section was created, and Hugh McIlvanney was the first to be honored.
External links
- The National Football Museum – Hall of Fame official website
Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 614: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
See also
In Spanish: Salón de la Fama del fútbol inglés para niños
