England Women's Football Captain.
First woman FA qualified coach, to 50 Caps, to captain England 50 times & to lead England Women to 2 tournament victories
🐯 ANNOUNCEMENT 🐯
Hull City Ladies are pleased to announce Carol Thomas as club ambassador.
The former England international women’s defender succeeded Sheila Parker as captain in 1976, holding that position until her retirement in 1985.
Learn more
So after training, I had a chance to catch up with Sarina &
@leahcwilliamson
to compare notes & talk all things football
I know the
@Lionesses
are in good hands & well led on & off the field
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
So today thought I'd have a day out at my second home
Here at St Georges watching the
@Lionesses
ahead of the next games
Have to confess ..... the feet are getting twitchy🤦♀️
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
38 yrs after sitting opposite Selina & Frank, I had a lovely chat with Naga & Roger on the red sofa
@BBCBreakfast
Hope I did wonen who play football, my era & Hull proud
Big shout out to Naga who said off camera, "thank you so much, without you there would be none of this"
So, a magical, lovely night & moment
49 years & 24 days after my debut, I finally received my
@Lionesses
Numbered Legacy Cap from the
@FA
at the 'Home of Football', from the current captain
@leahcwilliamson
I'll admit to a moist eye, thank you to everyone involved
👍👏⚽️🏴
Well, back home now & reflecting......Just a normal sort of Friday night really 🤷♀️🤦♀️😉🤣 with
@leahcwilliamson
That very special moment in my life caught in 6 images
Thank you everyone
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
A very special anniversary for me today
OTD, 17th March 1985, 38 years ago, I became the 1st
@Lionesses
to win 50 caps .... it's still sinking in
We beat Scotland at PNE, 4-0
🏴 legend Sir Tom Finney presented me with my cap (hand made by the late Flo Bilton)
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴
This display for the late, great Sylvia Gore with her bespoke, numbered cap, is stunningly beautiful, tasteful & so desrved
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
And let us not forget the Hullensian daughter who pioneered the Women's game during the 50 year ban
Flo Bilton
A 'Founding Mother' of the WFA, who set up her own league in Hull in the '60's & spotted & mentored me
Without Hull where would football be 🤷♀️
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Big advocate for this, I raised with the
@FA
as I have seen nothing at
@StGeorgesPark1
- the home of English Football🤷♀️🤦♀️ - ECM's original notes/diary are in
@FootballMuseum
It's not what has football done for Hull but .......
what Hull did for football
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Proud to say that my home city, Kingston upon Hull, has awarded me the title of Honorary Freeman of the City, the highest civic award of the Council
The proposal was agreed at the Civic Committee in April (b4 the WEURO's) & endorsed by Full Council yesterday
#HullandProud
Former
@Lionesses
captain Carol Thomas (
@First_2_Fifty
) has been appointed an Honorary Freeman of Hull. It’s the highest honour bestowed by Hull City Council. An official ceremony will be held later this year.
7th November 1974 .....
48 years ago today
Little did I know it but it was the day that changed my life forever
I was a shy young thing from Hull, but on this day .......
I became an international footballer 1/2
👍⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴
I'm proud to announce that tomorrow I am to be awarded a Honorary Doctrate of the University of Hull, ie. I will become
Dr Carol Thomas BEM DUniv(Hull)
😊
Bowled over by this one, totally left field, no idea of it & so proud of my home town once again❤
So today thought I'd have a day out at my second home
Here at St Georges watching the
@Lionesses
ahead of the next games
Have to confess ..... the feet are getting twitchy🤦♀️
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Gosh, 44 years ago today (28/4/77) I led England out to play Switzerland at my home town professional ground, Hull City AFC, Boothferry Park
It was my 12th international game & 7th as captain .... I was still only 21
I still have to pinch myself when I think back🙆♀️
We won 9-1
Look what arrived in the post today, a lovely present from the
@Lionesses
as a show of appreciation for the work I (& many others) have done to help them get to where we are
Thank you girls & hope to talk to you all again soon ❤👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
Good luck for the tournament
Well from an East Hull Council Estate to the global audience that is
@CNN
News ..... who'd have thought it🤦♀️
@HullCityLFC
@Hullccnews
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
🖤🧡🖤🧡
🏴🏴🏴🏴
Brilliant day at St Georges Park yesterday with
@JeanMWilliams
& other legends
Was asked to talk to 100 current FA Technical Staff/Sarina about how it was back in the day
It's an exciting time for the womens game & honoured to be part of the journey
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴
For me & the 'Class of 84' this is so much appreciated (
@leahcwilliamson
@Lionesses
)
31st July 2022 represents 38 years of hurt, gone!
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
‘Thank you because without you, we wouldn’t be where we are’
Watch the emotional moment England
@lionesses
captain
@leahcwilliamson
thanks Sue Whyatt, part of the first ever England women’s football team. Listen to the full interview on
@bbcsounds
🎧⬇️
What a fantastic day, such an honour to be awarded with a Hon Doctrate by
@UniOfHull
with a lovely citation given by
@Jones_Lisa2014
& then to be given this comparison by Chancellor Alan Johnson ...
"Carol is to football what Amy Johnson is to aviation"
Thank you to everyone
👏
Oh dear & people wonder why we get upset ....
@BBCSport
reporting that the
@Lionesses
"have reached one major tournament final .... Euro 2009"
of course 1984 doesn't count🤦♀️
My UEFA medal currently on display in the
@FootballMuseum
is obviously a fake🤷♀️
This Hullensian
@Lionesses
is overwhelmed & honoured to be receiving the highest
@Hullccnews
civic award on Thursday
It means so much to me, coming from the people of Hull & given to a proud daughter of our great City, thank you all
👏⚽️🏴
#HullnProud
Busy weekend started:-
Today
7.55am Radio Humberside
11am Sunday Mirror
1pm Calendar News
6.30pm BBC Radio 3 Counties
Sat
South African TV
Sun
10am South African TV - Supersport International programme
GB & Sky News to organise & oh, a game on Sunday🤔
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Thank you to everyone for their congratulations, I will try to respond to everyone but as you will appreciate I am totally blown away by this award👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
Got my tickets for Tuesday & I've just had the best message ...
Anette (Börjesson) will be there
We're arranging to meet up, if it happens, what a tearful moment
#84revisited
as the 1st WEURO captains & friends meet up b4 🏴 v 🇸🇪
🤞👍👏⚽️
@WEURO2022
@UEFA
@FA
@FootballMuseum
56 times, with pride, I sang 'God save the Queen'
Never again in my lifetime ....
She 'could never join me in battle' but ....
51 times I led the
@Lionesses
knowing I had the greatest Lioness of all time at my back
#RIPQueenElizabethII
God Save the King
Oh my, what a day yesterday, still getting so many nice messages. Thank you to everyone
I can't believe there is a link here so that you can watch my acceptance speech🤦♀️☺️
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
🖤🧡🖤🧡
🏴🏴🏴🏴
And the reason we are all here at Bramall Lane .....
One of the greatest Hullensians of all time ......
Ebenezer Cobb Morley
Without him, no Association Football 👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
Today marks the 1st anniversary of my Induction into the Football Hall of Fame
Didn't realise the next 12 months would be so hectic, working with
@Lionesses
,
@FA
,
@UEFA
,
@LinkedIn
& many others. It continues with further work for FA, The WI (
#terrified
🤣) &
@HullCityLFC
⚽️🏴🏴
So honoured to be invited to Elland Road as a FA VIP Guest last night ...
I was hit with 2 more surprises
Firstly, I made the match programme & then ....
I was awarded an FA Long Service Medal for 50 years Service to Football by Baroness Sue Campbell
Thank you to everyone
Sarina, I'm match fit🤷♀️🤦♀️🤣
Gave a 20 min cameo in the Dacre Arms v Mucky Duck (Black Swan) charity game, big crowd & great to hear the lads say, "we've got an 🏴 captain, we need to use her"
Loved it
Most importantly raised a bucket full of money for the local A&E Dept
👍👏👏
45 years ago today 28/4/77
I had the privilege of leading out the 🏴 Lionesses on my professional team's (Hull City AFC) home ground, Boothferry Park, in my 12th international app
We beat Switzerland 9-1 with P.Chapman(3), L.Curl, E.Foreman(2), S.Parker(2), L.Deighan scoring
Turning back the clock as BBC Breakfast turns 40
My one claim to fame .🤷♀️. sat on the famous red sofa on 28th May 1984 opposite Selina Scott, following the first senior England team to play in a EURO final, aka the now famous 'The Battle of Kenilworth Bog'
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Gosh, another day and another Radio interview🤦♂️👍
Radio London - Women in Sport show - with Jeanette Kwakye
The word is getting out, we women did it 37 years ago
⚽️⚽️👍👍🤷♂️🤷♂️
Lot's asking what the proclamation looks like
Have to say .... wow,
@Hullccnews
Lord Mayor Christine Randall tells me these take 3 months to prepare as it's made from vellum with print
Looking forward to my big day today
@jo_makel
@chrisdawkesITV
A trip to the
@Hullccnews
Guildhall for the presentation of my B.E.M. from the
@ERLieutenancy
This is for all the
@Lionesses
I played alongside, the WFA staff & family who made it all possible, thank you
👍👏⚽️🏴🏴
50 years of the
#Lionesses
. 🤩
We invited former players Sue Whyatt, Kerry Davis, and Carol Thomas to St. George’s Park to celebrate the part they have played in our history.
OTD 14th Jul 1979
This
@Lionesses
married the best teammate ever, & whilst I jokingly call him my PA Man, Alan has stood by me, never once complaining for all those 44 years, & remains the love of my life. Without him I would not have achieved a half or quarter of what I did
❤
So still coming back down to earth but what great the day it was & there is an air of optimism & a time for change
We need to move this to our City, inspiring & supporting young girls/boys and to achieve great things in our great game
This photo says it all for me
Lovely evening at
@Hullccnews
Guildhall where I was presented with my B.E.M. (awarded by our late Queen but presented by
@ERLieutenancy
on behalf of King Charles)
I was one of five recipients of the award
A big thank you to everyone in my life who made it all possible
👍👏⚽️🏴
Had a few moments to reflect on the last week
These 4 images sum up a very emotional couple of days & I'm still reeling, with the occasional moist eye ... so proud
Thank you to
@_WFAs
@Carra23
Eni & everyone there who gave me the standing ovations
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Still getting my head around today's events. Absolutely no knowledge of it, best kept secret by so many
Thank you to everyone
I'll post when I've processed it all, but got home in time to watch this
Thanks to
@jonnybrownyorks
@chrisdawkesITV
So I've heard it twice now on the BBC, the
@FA
are going to award us with personalised caps, on the 50th anniversary of the 1st international. Not sure what my number will be but I am so pleased for all those players that have not been formally recognised previously 👍👏⚽️⚽️🏴🏴
16th July 1979, this blushing bride of just 48 hours left her husband
His honeymoon, putting a reconditioned engine into the car, mine, a trip to Sorrento & Naples to captain England in the unofficial Euro's
He was still here when I got back & 41 years later....he still is♥️♥️
Well after last night I just have to get my boots out 🤷♀️, thinking of signing for this team🤔😉 What do you think
@GailNewsham
?
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
What a great way to celebrate the 48th anniversary of my international debut, spent at SGP working with
@FA
&
@Lionesses
After a demo of silky ball skills, Sarina assured me that I am on the radar for the extended
#WWC2023
squad .... if I get games under my belt🤦♀️
👍😉⚽️🏴🤣🤣
Today marks the 49th anniversary of my
@Lionesses
debut
OTD 7th Nov 1974, & 3 years after the ban was lifted, I came on as a 2nd half sub in England's 8th ever international v France at Wimbledon
We won 2-0 (44 years before we beat them again - I'd retired by then😉🤣)
⚽️🏴🏴
It's
#WWC
year ...
It's scary for this ex
@Lionesses
captain .....
In '84 we reached the 1st UEFA EURO's final, in '22 it came home
One year on, in '85, we won the (Little) World Cup (Mundialito), in '23, will it come home again?
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Change of profile pic👇
The icing on the cake for a great night, good second half, a well deserved victory & then time spent with Sarina &
@Lionesses
after the game
Great to talk to the current holder of that treasured armband
@leahcwilliamson
3 🏴 captains, 205 caps, not a bad photo👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
1/3 - it's been 38 yrs for this Lioness. I have watched this
@Lionesses
team grow & have to pass on my massive congrats to their leader
@leahcwilliamson
on reaching the final. It’s been amazing watching you/the squad play & how you/squad have conducted yourselves under pressure
So, out of the blue I got an invite to the
@_WFAs
& I thought why not, a couple of days in London, & now I'm hob nobbing
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Last night, some legendary Lionesses from the 70's & 80's reunite
A shed load of caps, some bionic knees 🤦♀️🤣, several more dodgy ones & lots of memories to talk about
Great night
@GailNewsham
👍👏👏👏
38 years ago today, I led England for the 28th time against Italy in Pescara. We lost 0-2, but little did we, players and staff, realise this was a defining and pivotal moment in the history of the England Women's football team. 1/3
Great piece in the Telegraph this morning about the 'Class of 84'
Nice little reminder of history that we were the first, Hope Powell's terriers were second & Harry Heroes were 3rd
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
Back stage & already for the big
@Hullccnews
Christmas Lights switch on. Great light show & artists about to go on
👍👏👏👏👏
Cuppa tea & a mince pie to calm the nerves🤷♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
See you all in a few minutes
So just 3 days before my 21st birthday, I lead the
@Lionesses
for the 1st time on foreign soil
2nd June 1976, 🏴 play Italy in the Olympic Stadium, Rome
We lose 2-0 but the cause was more important as it was played to raise relief funds for that years earthquake
👍👏⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴
What a day, long & tiring, but the rain stayed away, the sun came out, people chatted, smiled & were gobsmaked to hear that the '84
@Lionesses
reached a EURO's final 🤷♀️
I keep flying our flag. Today was for all those of my era
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
21st May 1976, 47 yrs ago
This shy 20 year olds life changed forever
That friday, England manager Tommy Tranter took me to one side, b4 the Scotland/Wales tie of the '76 Home Internationals, & told me I was to be the
@Lionesses
captain
Little did I know what would follow
⚽️🏴
OTD 13th Sep 1979
My 1st home game as Carol Thomas, I had the honour of leading out the
@Lionesses
v. Denmark at my home town club
@HullCity
Boothferry Park with Hull's Mike Rawding as temporary 🏴 manager
We drew 2-2 with an OG & E.Foreman scoring
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Went down to our special river front place to hang my Christmas flowers for Mum n Dad today
I owe them so much, without their support & helping me to fight battles, in the less enlightened 60's/70's, this 🏴 Lioness might never had made it
Still sadly missed
#RIPMum_n_Dad
On This Day
18th November 1972 England Women (the
@Lionesses
) played their 1st ever game
They travelled up to Greenock, Scotland to take on the 'Auld Enemy' Sylvia Gore scored the
@Lionesses
1st ever goal as they ran out 3-2 winners
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Just love this photo from
@TigersEarly
of Hull Ladies in 1921 .... look at the crowd. We may have been banned by the men in the smoke filled corridors of Lancaster Gate but we still drew the numbers
Compare them to their
@HullCityLFC
modern day successors
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🖤🧡🖤🧡
The big day has arrived, my walk through history, from the 1st Women's EURO 1984 game at Gresty Road to Wednesday's 2022 big game at Old Trafford
4 decades, 2 grounds, 34 miles, 2 days .. join me along the way as I talk to some greats of the game
@LinkedIn
#FollowInHerFootsteps
Wow, have been overwhelmed by kind messages this morning
Thanks to everyone &
@KathrynBatte
- you rose to my challenge to get recognition for the girls of '72 onwards 👏 this piece is dedicated to all of them
@bbcburnsy
I think you started something🤦♀️
Long day on the touchline today
11:30 Grandma Supporter for little Freddie who lost 4-3, but the boys did well
2:00 All things Ambassadorial at the Easy Buy for
@HullCityLFC
in a hard fought 3-0 win
3:30 More Ambassador work as the
#Tigresses
Cubs winning their SF 4-0
I promise you,
@faye_white
& I were there, on the 'walk round', it's just that we were being interviewed & then we were bringing up the rear as fast as our weary legs could manage🤦♀️😉🤣👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Today marks 11 years since the passing of my greatest inspiration
She faced so much so that her daughter, in the less enlightened 1960's, could play football
Who knows what I would have become without her
So sad she has not witnessed the last 15 months
#ProudMum
❤❤
#RIPMum
Big advocate for this, I raised with the
@FA
as I have seen nothing at
@StGeorgesPark1
- the home of English Football🤷♀️🤦♀️ - ECM's original notes/diary are in
@FootballMuseum
It's not what has football done for Hull but .......
what Hull did for football
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Worth remembering that when the world’s first ⚽️ international
#SCOENG
took place over 150 years ago, the President of
@FA
was the Hull man, Ebenezer Cobb Morley, who literally wrote the rules of football. How there isn’t a statue of him in
#Hull
I don’t know 🤷🏼♂️
Just had a fabulous chat about just how far women wanting to play football has come since my day on the
@bbcworldservice
Next stop, the Sky "Fun Bus"
Wembley, here I come
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
Reminiscing, 19/9/2009 after landing in Lima, we had just set off for a 23 day trek in the Cordillera Huayhuash in search of
@TouchingTheVoid
&
@simon__yates
base camp below Suila Grande
We broke the 5,000m contour 10 times over various passes en route & the bonus, we found it
So well done to Gareth, Harry and the boys &, given this enlightened era of equality, any accolades, gongs, etc that the boys receive, I trust the
@FA
will replicate for the players of the 1st England team to reach a Euro's final ...
The Class of '84
The England Womens team 🤷♂️
I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the fantastic response to my Hall of Fame of induction, thank you
So many to thank, see attached
I will try to respond to tweets but if I don't, please accept my apologies, it is not a snub but the result of the sheer mind blowing numbers
A game unsuitable for females
100 years ban, some of us were banned before we even kicked a ball😭🤦♀️⚽️⚽️
It didn't stop me & look where we are now
Join us on Thursday, 7:00pm
Football: unsuitable for females? Not a chance. 🚫
We're marking the centenary of the 1921 'ban' on women's football with a cracking panel talk alongside
@WeAreTheFSA
.
Featuring
@First_2_Fifty
,
@JeanMWilliams
,
@bg_scarlett
and many more!
Sign up here:
Oh wow, in the middle of moving house, what a day 🤦♀️, did a quick interview with Pritti from the beeb
Lovely article, somewhat humbled, thank you
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴
& a big thank to all in & outside the ground for their congratulations & thanks for my contribution to the Women's game
Must mention the lady in the hotel, who shyly came up to me with a tear in her eye & said, "Thank you for changing the face of Women's sport"
Truly humbled🏴
So, a magical, lovely night & moment
49 years & 24 days after my debut, I finally received my
@Lionesses
Numbered Legacy Cap from the
@FA
at the 'Home of Football', from the current captain
@leahcwilliamson
I'll admit to a moist eye, thank you to everyone involved
👍👏⚽️🏴
And now my little present earlier in the year from the
@Lionesses
makes sense (I thought Sarina had made a decision about the bench for an upcoming international,🤷♀️😉🤣🤣)
Thanks again girls 👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴👑👑👑👑👑
So a little birdie tells me to watch ....
Sky Sports News on Monday (20th) .... 📺📺📺
.... as there may be someone I know, who may be on 🤔🤔🤷♀️🤷♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️
@FootballMuseum
@Lionesses
Made by the late, great Hullensian & one of the 'Founding Mothers' of the WFA.....
Flo Bilton
She borrowed a men's England cap from her neighbour, Raich Carter, & copied it 🤷♀️ I have 2, my 1st cap & my 50th, they mean so much to those of us who got one👍👏👏🏴🏴🏴
Back on duty..... with the
@HullCityLFC
girls, watching & encouraging the next generation at the Easy Buy Stadium this afternoon
Good work our for the girls against
@HTAFCWomen
Dev squad, great result & food for thought for new manager
@ChrisHames11
In my 11 year
@Lionesses
career, the men of the
@FA
never once allowed me to lead my country out onto the hallowed turf
But I can boast at least 6 appearances for my country at the Wembley Arena ('75, '76, '78 '81, '83, '84)
So pleased & proud to be back
👍👏👏⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴🏴🏴🏴
It's nearly springtime & a chance to start clearing the nest 🤦♀️ & look what I came across:-
Eng v Japan U23 - 16/5/67
Waggy's testimonial - 1975
@HullCity
v Japan - 4/8/71
Chillo's testimonial - 1971
It's my special day. It involves the numbers 5 & 6, not necessarily in that order. 😉 Who would have thought this little Bumble Bee would travel the world as captain of England, accompany English footballing superstars and be a 'Lockdown Lady' !🤣🤣
Tonight, in honour of my friend, a truly great Swedish Women's Captain, Anette Börjesson I am wearing my Swedish shirt with pride & cheering them on👍👏⚽️🇸🇪
#FollowInHerFootsteps
@LinkedInUK
#LinkedInLadies
-
Chloe Morgan
Rachel Yankey, OBE
Iqra Ismail
Janine Chamberlin
A little behind with my 'twittering ' but someone just pointed me to this. Once again so proud, a gift from from the people of Hull to a Hullensian -
#HullandProud
The
#Tigress
who led the
@Lionesses
Another great find, Rowntrees Ladies AFC circa 1984. A club side boasting, at that time, 4 past, present & future
@Lionesses
in the front row:-
2nd L Gail Boreman
3rd L My telepathic friend
@theenglandcapt
4th L Pat Firth
5th L Yours Truly
Reached the SF of the WFA Cup in 1984