Hope Powell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hope Powell
CBE

Powell in April 2018, managing Brighton & Hove Albion
Personal information
Full name	Hope Patricia Powell
Date of birth	(1966-12-08) 8 December 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth	Lewisham, England
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Birmingham City (technical director)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1978–1987	Millwall Lionesses
1987–1989	Friends of Fulham
1989–1991	Millwall Lionesses
1991–1994	Bromley Borough
1994–1998	Croydon
National team
1983–1998	England	66	(35)
Teams managed
1998–2013	England
2012	Great Britain Olympic
2017–2022	Brighton & Hove Albion
2023–	Birmingham City (technical director)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Hope Patricia Powell (born 8 December 1966) is a famous English football coach and former player. She is currently the Women's Technical Director at Birmingham City.

As a player, Hope Powell played for the England team 66 times. She was mainly an attacking midfielder and scored 35 goals. She started playing for England when she was just 16 years old. She also played in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, which was England's first time in the World Cup. She was also the vice-captain for her country. For her clubs, Powell played in four FA Women's Cup finals. She was the captain of Croydon when they won both the League and the Cup in 1996. This is called a Double.

In 1998, the Football Association (FA) made Hope Powell England's first full-time national coach. She led the team in the UEFA Women's Championship in 2001, 2005, 2009, and 2013. She also guided England to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2007 and 2011. England had some of its best results with Powell, reaching the final of the UEFA Women's Championship in 1984 (as a player) and 2009 (as a coach).

Besides managing the senior England team, Powell also looked after the younger teams, from Under-15s to Under-23s. She helped set up a coaching program and The FA's National Player Development Centre. In 2009, Powell helped introduce central contracts. This meant players could focus on full-time training and playing, without needing other jobs. In 2003, Powell became the first woman to get the UEFA Pro Licence. This is the highest coaching qualification you can get. She also managed the Great Britain women's Olympic football team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. From 2017 to 2022, she managed Brighton & Hove Albion.

Playing for Clubs

Millwall Lionesses

Hope Powell made news when football rules stopped her from playing for her school team after age 11. She then joined the club team Millwall Lionesses when she was 11.

At Millwall, her coach Alan May taught her important skills about working with people. He was a big inspiration for her, even when she became a coach herself.

Friends of Fulham

Later, Powell moved to another London club, Friends of Fulham. After two years, she played in the 1989 Women's FA Cup final. Powell scored two goals and played very well, but her team lost 3–2 to Leasowe Pacific. The game was played at Old Trafford.

Back to Millwall

After that loss, Powell went back to Millwall Lionesses. There, she became the team's top goalscorer of all time. In 1991, Millwall Lionesses won the Women's FA Cup for the first time. They beat Doncaster Belles 1–0.

Bromley and Croydon

After their success, the team changed, and Powell moved to a new club called Bromley Borough. This club quickly moved up through the leagues. In the 1993–94 season, Bromley Borough won their league and moved up to the top division of English women's football.

For the 1994–95 season, the club teamed up with Croydon. Hope Powell became the captain of Croydon. In 1995–96, Croydon won both the League and the FA Women's Cup. This was a great achievement! In the FA Women's Cup final, Powell scored a goal and then scored again in a penalty shootout to help Croydon win.

In 1998, Croydon lost both cup finals to Arsenal. Even though Powell scored a goal in the FA Women's Cup final, her team lost. After this, she decided to stop playing and become the England coach.

Playing for England

Hope Powell played her first game for England on 9 September 1983, against the Republic of Ireland. She was 17 years old. She played in the final of the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football, where England lost to Sweden after penalties.

She was given the legacy number 61 by the FA to celebrate 50 years of England's first international game.

International Goals

Hope Powell scored many goals for England. Here are some of them:

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 March 1985	Preston, England	Scotland	4–0	4–0	1987 European Competition for Women's Football qualifying
2.	25 May 1985	Antrim, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	?–?	8–1
3.	17 August 1985	Ramsey, Isle of Man	Wales	?–0	6–0
4.				?–0
5.	22 September 1985	Cork, Ireland	Republic of Ireland	2–0	6–0
6.	16 March 1986	Blackburn, England	Northern Ireland	9–0	10–0
7.				10–0
8.	12 October 1986	Kirkcaldy, Scotland	Scotland	2–0	3–1
7.	11 April 1987	Leeds, England	Northern Ireland	?–0	6–0	Friendly
8.	17 March 1990	Ypres, Belgium	Belgium	1–0	3–0	UEFA Women's Euro 1991 qualifying
9.				2–0
10.	17 April 1994	Brentford, England	Slovenia	?–0	10–0	UEFA Women's Euro 1995 qualifying

Coaching and Managing Teams

Hope Powell in 2017

Starting Coaching

Hope Powell got her first coaching award when she was 19. While still playing, she worked as a development officer and coached at soccer camps in the United States.

England Women's Team

In March 1998, at 31 years old, Hope Powell became the youngest coach ever for any England national football team. She was also the first woman and the first non-white person to hold this job.

Her first game as manager was a friendly against Sweden in July 1998. Her first official game was a loss to Norway. England was in a tough spot and faced being moved to a lower league. Powell said it was "do-or-die" because less money would be given to the team if they lost. But England won 6–2 overall and stayed in the top league.

In 2003, Powell became the first woman to get the UEFA Pro Licence, which is the highest coaching qualification. She led the England team to the final of Euro 2009, where they lost to Germany.

At the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, England lost in the quarter-finals to France after a penalty shootout. After England's difficult performance at UEFA Women's Euro 2013, some people thought Powell should be removed as manager. However, the FA still supported her.

On 20 August 2013, Hope Powell was no longer the manager of the England women's team.

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 19 July 2017, Hope Powell became the first-team manager for the Brighton & Hove Albion women's team. She left this role on 31 October 2022.

England Men's U20s

On 19 May 2023, it was announced that Powell would join the England men's U20s as a technical advisor for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Birmingham City

On 20 July 2023, Hope Powell was named the new Women's Technical Director at Birmingham City.

Managerial Stats

Here is a summary of Hope Powell's record as a manager:

Awards and Recognition

Hope Powell has received many awards for her contributions to football:

• She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2002.
• She was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010 for her services to sport.
• In 2003, she was added to the English Football Hall of Fame.
• She received honorary doctorates from Loughborough University (2009) and the University of East London (2011).

Player Honours

Millwall Lionesses

• FA Women's Cup: 1991

Croydon

• FA Women's Cup: 1996
• FA Women's Premier League: 1995–96

England

• Mundialito (2): 1985, 1988

Manager Honours

England

• Cyprus Cup (2): 2009, 2013

About Hope Powell

Hope Powell was born and grew up in London. Her family is from Jamaica. In 1990, she earned a degree in Sport Science and History from Brunel University in London.

In 2016, Hope Powell's autobiography, called Hope: My Life in Football, was published.

See also

In Spanish: Hope Powell para niños