Sheila Parker (née Porter; born 1947) is an English former international

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defender. In November 1972 she captained the

England women's national football team The England women's national football team, nicknamed the Lionesses, has been governed by the Football Association (FA) since 1993, having been previously administered by the Women's Football Association (WFA). England played its first interna ...

in their first official match, a 3–2 win over

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. Parker was announced as an inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in May 2013.

Early and personal life

Parker grew up in

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

and played football with the boys at school. Parker's granddaughter, Chloe, plays for Fleetwood Town.

Club career

In June 1961, 13-year-old Parker played her first match for Dick, Kerr's Ladies. In 1974 Parker helped Fodens, originally a works team from the Edwin Foden, Sons & Co. lorry manufacturing plant in

Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire East borough of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock, Cheshire, Wheelock. At the 2021 United Kingd ...

, shock Southampton in the

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of the Women's FA Cup. Teammate Sylvia Gore recalled: She later played for Chorley Ladies. Parker played for St Helens in the 1983 WFA Cup final which they lost 3–2 to Doncaster Belles.

International career

When the Women's Football Association (WFA) tasked Eric Worthington with constructing the first official England national team in 1972, he selected Parker as his captain after a series of trials. She was 24, already married and returning from the birth of her son earlier that year. Parker, a centre half, retained the captaincy until 1976, when she was left out of the squad for a Home Nations tournament against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

. Carol Thomas assumed the captaincy. Parker returned to the team in November 1977, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over

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at Plough Lane. Wendy Owen reported that her central defensive partner Parker played for England until 1980. England manager Martin Reagan selected veteran Parker in his squad for the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football final against

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. After her retirement as a player in 1984, Parker wanted to remain involved in football and trained as a

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under the Lancashire County Football Association.

Recognition

Fifty years after first representing England, surrounding the nation hosting and then winning UEFA Women's Euro 2022, Parker received various honours. A "Where Greatness is Made" plaque – recognising the contribution of grassroots clubs to the start of England careers – was installed at Chorley F.C., and Parker was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to women's football and charity. After decades of the 1972 team struggling for recognition by the FA, they were included in the legacy list of all England players published by the FA in November 2022. As Parker wore the number 5 in their first match, she is recognised as the fifth England women's player.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Sheila Living people 1947 births English women's footballers Footballers from Chorley Women's association football midfielders England women's international footballers Dick, Kerr's Ladies F.C. players Fodens Ladies F.C. players Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English sportswomen Date of birth missing (living people) St Helens W.F.C. players