.jpg) Rachel Brown in February 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rachel Laura Brown[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-07-02)2 July 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Burnley,England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Accrington Ladies | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 41 | (0) |
| 2000–2003 | Pittsburgh Panthers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | Liverpool | ||
| 2003–2014 | Everton | ||
| 2003 | →ÍBV (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2014 | →Arsenal (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1997–2013 | England | 82 | (0) |
| 2012 | Great Britain | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals as of 26 February 2014 (UTC) | |||
Rachel Brown (born 2 July 1980) is anEnglish formerfootballgoalkeeper who played forLiverpool from 1995 to 1998, spent five years from 1998 playingvarsity soccer forAlabama Crimson Tide andPittsburgh Panthers in the UScollege system, and played forEverton from 2003 until 2014. She also spent the 2003 season onloan in the IcelandicÚrvalsdeild, playing forÍBV.Since making her debut for theEngland women's national football team in 1997, Brown won over 80caps. She understudiedPauline Cope in her first years with the national team, then served as England's first choice goalkeeper at the2007 FIFA Women's World Cup andUEFA Women's Euro 2009. Due to injuries, Brown was displaced in the team byKaren Bardsley for the2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was also selected in theGreat Britain squad for the2012 London Olympics. Brown was the goalkeeper onChannel Five'sSuperstars and is employed by Everton FC's Community Project.[3] She married professional golf caddie Ian Finnis in 2013 and has since been known asRachel Brown-Finnis.
Brown was born inBurnley,Lancashire, and attendedSt Christopher's CE High School inAccrington.[4] She began playing football as agoalkeeper at primary school, in a boys' team.[5] She said: "They were reluctant to let me join in. It was a case of, 'OK, if you must play you'd better go in goal.'"[6] After a few years of not playing in a team, due toThe Football Association (FA) rules prohibiting mixed gender teams, Brown joined Accrington Ladies.[note 1][5] Being younger than the required 14, Brown played local open age football for the club.
Just after her 15th birthday, Brown joinedPremier League National Division teamLiverpool Ladies. She was scouted at an Easter holidays goalkeeping camp run byBob Wilson in London, where Brown was the only female of 48 attendees.[5] After applying for the camp throughMatch magazine, Brown was presented with the Player of the Camp award byDavid Seaman.[7] Having expected to understudy Liverpool's experienced former England goalkeeperTracey Davidson, Brown became first choice when Davidson quit football approximately three weeks later.[5]
Brown's Liverpool debut came against all–conqueringArsenal on the opening day of the1995–96 season.[5] Liverpool lost the match, staged atAnfield, 6–0.[8] A decade later, Brown recalled the occasion: "It was very, very daunting – yeah we lost big time! Being thrown in the deep end was an understatement – I was only small and it was hard enough playing against women never mind some of the best players in the whole country."[5] The first season culminated in one of Brown’s early career highlights; participation in the1996 FA Women's Cup Final at 15 years old with Liverpool.[9][note 2] After a 1–1 score withCroydon atThe Den, Liverpool, with Brown carrying an injury, ultimately lost onpenalties afterextra time.[10]
Brown remained with Liverpool while takingA Levels atNelson and Colne College.[11] In October 1997 she saved three times in a penalty shootout as the Reds eliminatedDoncaster Belles in the first round of theFA Women's Premier League Cup.[12] In that season's FA Women's Cup Liverpool were thrown out afterJody Handley played in a 3–1 quarter final win overMillwall Lionesses without international clearance.[13]
In 1998, Brown moved to the United States where she attended theUniversity of Alabama and played for theCrimson Tide soccer team. TheSunday Mirror reported in February 2000 that Brown had signed a two-year sponsorship deal worth £100,000 withUhlsport.[14] In the same article Brown explained that she had left England because Americans had a more positive attitude towards women's football. Dissatisfied with aspects of the culture in theDeep South,[7] Brown transferred to theUniversity of Pittsburgh where she played for thePanthers soccer team and completed a degree in Sports Science.[3] She was named Goalkeeper of the Year for theBig East Conference every year and also holds the Panthers' record for the fewest goals conceded in a season.[15]
Brown on the culture in theDeep South: There was quite a lot of racism and that didn't sit easy with me. It's where themarches and riots were, whereRosa Parks was, and it still felt really raw. They were only a generation away fromblack toilets and white toilets. There were Afro-American players in the sport but I felt quite awkward. I couldn't get my head around why people didn't hang out together. And the religion – there was hypocrisy with what people preached and what they then did. I did rebel. I told the coach that morally they weren't right. I was outspoken.[7]
On returning to Liverpool, Brown found her old club relegated and languishing in thePremier League Northern Division.[7] She qualified as a PE Teacher atLiverpool John Moores University[3] and joinedEverton Ladies in January 2003: "Everton were in the top division so I thought, 'change codes here, go to the Blues.'"[7] She spent the 2003 summer season playing in Iceland,[16] returning to Everton in August 2003.[17] In December 2003 Brown suffered a serious knee injury that kept her out of the game until June 2005.[18]
Danielle Hill played in goal for Everton in their 1–0 FA Women's Cup final defeat to Charlton Athletic in May 2005.[19] Hill also played as Everton shocked Arsenal in the final of the 2008 Premier League Cup.[20]
Brown played in her second FA Women's Cup final in2010. Ahead of the match she told theLiverpool Echo: "I wouldn't say I'm in the twilight of my career but it's been a long time since 1996, so I'm very determined to put things right."[21] She collected her first winner's medal as Everton beat Arsenal 3–2 afterextra time.
In December 2014, guest player Brown was taken to the2014 International Women's Club Championship in Japan bywild card entrants Arsenal Ladies.[22] In January 2015, Brown decided to retire from football, citing that her body was telling her that it was time to stop.[23]
Brown played eight times for the England Under-18 side[24] and made her senior debut, aged 16, in February 1997 againstGermany. She entered play as a substitute for regular goalkeeperPauline Cope, as England were beaten 6–4 in the friendly atDeepdale. ManagerTed Copeland also gave Brown some playing time in the next match, a 6–0 friendly win overScotland atBramall Lane on 9 March 1997.[25] Exactly a year later, Brown made her first home start in England's 1–0World Cup qualifying defeat to Germany at The Den.[26]
In October 2000, when Cope was struck down with a stomach complaint on the morning of England'sWomen's Euro 2001 qualification play-off in Ukraine, Brown took her place in England's 2–1 win.[27] By the time of a May 2001 friendly against Scotland at Bolton'sReebok Stadium, Brown had 11 senior appearances and was Cope's regular understudy.[28] Brown andLeanne Hall went to Euro 2001 as back-up to Cope, who played in all three games.[29]
After impressing at her hometown clubBurnley, where she had been a season-ticket holder as a child[30] as England beatAustralia 1–0 in September 2003,[31] she was asked to turn on the Christmas lights in Burnley, but she had to cancel as she was playing for England as they beatScotland 5–0 in November in nearby Preston. After a long spell out with injury, Brown returned to the England team againstSweden in the last group game ofWomen’s Euro 2005.
Brown kept her place, and conceded two goals, as England qualified for the2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China.
In May 2009, Brown was one of the first 17 female players to be given central contracts by The Football Association.[32] Brown started every game of England's women's 2009 campaign.
In September 2010, Brown was controversially sent off in England's2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying win overSwitzerland. Swiss forwardRamona Bachmann was criticised for her play-acting that led to the dismissal.[33] Bachmann admitted there had been no foul and apologised for her actions,[34] and Brown's red card was rescinded on appeal.[35]
She was allotted 119 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England's inaugural international.[36][37]
In June 2012, Brown andKaren Bardsley were named as the goalkeepers in an 18-playerGreat Britain squad for the2012 London Olympics.[38] Brown described her selection as the pinnacle of her career to date.[39] In 1996 Brown had been aball girl atLegion Field for theSummer Olympics, while in America for coaching.[40]
Since retiring from playing, she has worked as a footballpundit forBT Sport andBBC Sport.[41]
Brown attended St. Christopher's C of E High School in Accrington, Lancashire.[42]
She married professional golf caddie Ian Finnis in January 2013; they live inBlundellsands, Crosby,Liverpool.[43][44]
Injuries sustained by Brown include a dislocated finger, having her front teeth kicked out, several knee injuries, and a torncruciate ligament. She has often been photographed to promote women's football.[6]
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