By now you must surely have heard that former England women’s manager, Hope Powell MBE, has a book out? Got it yet? If not, why not? Here’s a chance to win one too….
Former England boss Hope Powell didn’t think anyone would particularly want to read her life story, writes CATHERINE ETOE.
“It’s very difficult to write about yourself and think that anybody would even be interested,” she says.
Hmm, let’s think. Council estate kid who vows to one day play for England gets to do just that aged 16, goes on to earn 66 caps and the vice-captaincy, oh and then becomes the youngest, first female, first full-time, first black manager of England, stays in the job for 15 years and helps to change the face of women’s football in that time.
A dull read? Sorry, but whether you loved her, loathed her or simply didn’t know enough about her to feel either way, when Hope Powell was fired by the Football Association after a poor showing at Euro 2013, hers was one autobiography we all wanted to get our hands on. Well, now we can with the publication of Hope: My Life in Football.
ABOVE: Hope taking part in a ‘Women in sport’ discussion at the launch event at Foyles, London (Nat Sollohub)
Speaking to the 49-year-old ahead of the book’s publication, She Kicks asked the former midfield maestro – her first England manager Martin Reagan described her as a “Rolls Royce of a player” – what we should expect.
“It’s a bit about me, about the journey, as a kid growing up, playing, getting my first cap, managing England for the first time, the Olympics, losing my job,” she says. “It’s just my journey and it’s all centred around me and football.”
Sounds great, but will it, we wondered, shed light on Hope Powell the woman? She hopes so. “It’s not kiss and tell or derogatory about the FA; the FA were good to me for 15 years, it was just that last five minutes that wasn’t very nice!” she says. “But if you know women’s football, you might know who I am but don’t know me. People have a perception of me, it might fulfill their perception – or they might be surprised by it.”
Hope: My Life in Football is published by Bloomsbury, £16.99 hardback/£14.99 eBook.
We have FIVE copies of Hope’s book to give away, if you can answe the following question:
Q: HOPE POWELL HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL PLAYING CAREER BUT WHICH CLUB OUT OF THESE THREE DID SHE NOT PLAY FOR?
– Millwall Lionesses
– Arsenal
– Croydon
Send your answer to: [email protected] and include your name and postal address.
(Entries close 16th September, 2016, 9am.)
