SALUTING OUR SISTERS
Still We Roar, tells the story of the five Black female players who represented England at the 1995 World Cup. Now in total there have been 23 Black lionesses to play for the women's senior team.
Kerry Davis
Legacy Number: 59
Debut: 1982
The first Black woman to represent and score for England, Kerry (pictured above, with our most recent Black player, Lauren James) went on to hold the team’s record goalscorer title for many years, until her tally was eclipsed by Kelly Smith in 2012 and then Ellen White in 2021. During her international career, she featured at the old European Championship Finals in 1984 and 1987 and also at the World Cup in 1995 with plenty of goals along the way. Hailing from Stoke-on-Trent, Kerry was first spotted playing for Crewe Alexandra before she moved to Italy for a four-year spell with ROI Lazio, Trani and Napoli. After heading back to England, she played for Crewe, Liverpool and Croydon, who she helped to a league and cup double in 1996.
Mary Phillip
Legacy Number: 114
Debut: 1996
The first Black player to captain England women’s senior team, Mary was a solid and versatile defender who enjoyed a 13-year career on the international scene and won 65 caps. She made her debut while still a teenager on the books of Millwall Lionesses, where she was a team-mate of England head coach Hope Powell. After winning her first six caps, Mary had four years out of the international game following the birth of her children before returning in 2002 and helping the Lionesses to qualify for the 2007 World Cup in China. After leaving Millwall, Mary went on to play for Fulham, Arsenal and Chelsea before retiring in 2008 with seven FA Cups and five Premier League titles to her name. She’s now the head coach of Peckham Town and has also worked as an assistant coach with England’s development teams in recent years.
Samantha Britton
Legacy Number: 88
Debut: 1991
An extremely versatile player, Samantha could feature in defence, midfield and attack and was a part of the squad who featured in England’s first Women’s World Cup appearance in Sweden 1995. At club level, Yorkshire-born Samantha started out at hometown club Huddersfield Town before going on to represent Arsenal, Croydon, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Everton and Leeds United.
Hope Powell
Legacy Number: 61
Debut: 1983
An England legend as both a player and head coach. After making her debut in a 6-0 win over Ireland at the old Elm Park in Reading in September 1983, Hope was a regular on the international scene for 15 years in tandem with her career at Millwall Lionesses, Friends of Fulham and Croydon, where she won the Women’s FA Cup in 1996. She then crossed over into management having started her coach education in her teens, and became the first Black manager of any England representative team when she took over as Lionesses head coach in 1998 at the age of 31. She spent 15 years in charge and not only did she help the team improve and develop on the pitch, she played a major role in breaking down barriers too. Hope led England to the EUROs of 2005, 2009 (where they finished as runners-up) and 2013, plus to World Cups in China 2007 and Germany 2011. Awarded an OBE in 2002 and then a CBE in 2010, Hope was also the first woman to gain the UEFA Pro Licence in 2007. More recently, she's been the manager of Brighton & Hove Albion in the Barclays WSL, acted on the coaching staff of the England men's under-20s in 2023 and is now director of women's football for Birmingham City.
Brenda Sempare
Legacy Number: 62
Debut: 1983
The midfielder was an inspirational member of the England squad who travelled to Sweden for their maiden World Cup appearance in 1995, where she featured in all four games and also played in the early iteration of the European Championships in 1984 and 1987. She picked up 55 caps and scored five goals for the Lionesses while playing domestically for Friends of Fulham and Croydon Ladies, who she helped to an FA Cup title in 1996.
