 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Deborah Bampton | ||
| Date of birth | (1961-10-07)7 October 1961 (age 64) | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Barnfield | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| ?–1981 | Maidstone | ||
| 1981–1983 | Lowestoft | ||
| 1983–1985 | Howbury Grange | ||
| 1985–1986 | Millwall Lionesses | ||
| 1987–1988 | Despar Trani 80 | ||
| 1988–1991 | Millwall Lionesses | ||
| 1991–1992 | Wimbledon | ||
| 1992–1994 | Arsenal | ||
| 1994–2000 | Croydon | ||
| 2000 | Doncaster Belles | ||
| 2004–2005 | Eastbourne Borough | ||
| International career | |||
| 1978–1997 | England | 95 | (7) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1994–2000 | Croydon | ||
| 2006–2008 | Whitehawk | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Deborah BamptonMBE (born 7 October 1961) is an English formerfootballer who played as amidfielder. During her career, Bampton won a treble atArsenal and two doubles withCroydon.[1] She was also capped a total of 95 times for England, scoring seven goals in all.[2]
Bampton began her career at the age of 14. She played forLowestoft Ladies, the team winning theWomen's FA Cup in 1982, although Bampton missed the final due to injury. She then moved to captainHowbury Grange, managed by her father Albert. She was a member of the side that won the Women's FA Cup in 1984.[3] In 1987 she moved to Italy, playing forDespar Trani 80 as a full–time professional alongside compatriotKerry Davis. She spent just one season there, but won runners–up medals in both theSerie A andnational Cup.[2]
She joinedArsenal Ladies in 1992. Bampton thereafter won with Arsenal thetreble of League Cup, Premier League and FA Cup in that being her first season at the club. Her following 1993–94 season was without fruit in comparison to prior.[1][4][5] With this being so, Bampton leftHighbury to becomeplayer-manager ofCroydon Women in 1994. In the 1995–96 season, Croydon won the League title and the FA Women's Cup. Despite leaving the field after eight minutes due to injury, Bampton won her fifth FA Cup winners' medal when Croydon beatLiverpool in the 1996 final at theNew Den.[1] She won the league with Croydon twice more, before leaving to joinDoncaster Belles as a player in 2000, after the Croydon club moved to Charlton.[6]
In 2004, she joined Eastbourne Borough Ladies, a team her father was coaching. During their first season as a women's team, they went on to win the Sussex County Cup and the League Cup. The following year, she was inducted into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame.[2]
Bampton made herEngland debut whilst still at school, playing against theNetherlands in September 1978.[2]
Bampton hit the winning goal inDenmark as England qualified for the1984 European Competition for Women's Football final.[7] In the second leg of the final atKenilworth Road, Bampton scored in England'spenalty shootout defeat toSweden.[8] In 1985, she became the England captain following the retirement ofCarol Thomas, then England's most capped player and still the second longest serving captain. In 1991, she was injured and replaced as captain byGillian Coultard.[9] In 1995, new managerTed Copeland restored her as captain,[10] and she led the Three Lionesses into their first everFIFA Women's World Cup appearance that year.[11] Bampton recalled: "It was difficult, especially as Gill and I were roommates and at that point the England squad was split. A lot of people wantedClare Taylor to be captain, but it was something I'd always wanted to do and so I just enjoyed it."[12] She retained the captaincy for England's failed1997 UEFA Women's Championship qualification campaign.[13] In May 1997, Bampton made her final England appearance in a 6–0 friendly defeat toUnited States inPortland.[14] She won 95 caps for England, scoring three goals altogether.[2]
She was allotted 40 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England's inaugural international.[15][16]
Bampton was a tall, strong and industrious central midfielder. She characterised herself as "a box-to-box player" and said "I worked hard to win the ball, and I was always looking to make forward runs. I was not a natural goalscorer, but I did look to set up chances for others."[2]
In 1982, Bampton, alongsideAudrey Rigby and Caroline Jones, was selected to join New Zealand club Auckland WFC as a player and as a coach. However, she suffered a broken leg, and had to be limited to coaching.[1]
She joined the coaching staff of Whitehawk Ladies in the 2006 close season, along with formerArsenal Ladies and England playerAngela Banks.[17] In February 2008, she was manager of Whitehawk Ladies.[18] Bampton joined the coaching staff ofLewes Ladies in January 2009.[19]
Bampton is asupporter ofArsenal.[1] She was appointed as aMember of the British Empire (MBE) in1998 as a recognition of her services to women's football.[20][21]
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