Brenda Sempare
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Brenda Sempare
| fullname =
| image = Brenda Sempare.JPG
| image_size = 125
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|11|09}}
| birth_place = England
| height =
| position = Midfield
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| years1 = |clubs1 = Friends of Fulham |caps1 = |goals1 =
| years2 = |clubs2 = Croydon Ladies |caps2 = |goals2 =
| nationalyears1 = 1983-1995
| nationalteam1 = England
| nationalcaps1 = 55
| nationalgoals1 = 5
| pcupdate =
| ntupdate =
}}
Brenda Sempare (born 9 November 1961){{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=427/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813021745/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=427/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 August 2009|title=England:Brenda Sempare|publisher=FIFA|access-date=2009-11-11}} is an English former international women's footballer. She played in all four games of England's 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup appearance.
Club career
Sempare helped Friends of Fulham win the 1985 FA Women's Cup. In November 2001 Hope Powell wrote in The Times that Sempare's performance in 1985's 2–0 final win over Doncaster Belles at Craven Cottage was "the best all-round performance I have ever seen."{{cite news|title=Placed in history|work=The Times|date=2001-11-10}} Sempare played in two more WFA Cup finals with Friends of Fulham but they were defeated by Leasowe Pacific in the 1989 final held at Old Trafford and by Doncaster Belles in the 1990 final at the Baseball Ground.{{cite book |last1=Slegg Chris |first1=Gregory Patricia |title=A History of the Women's FA Cup |date=2021 |publisher=thehistorypress |isbn=9780750996594}}
In April 1996, Sempare was one of Croydon Ladies' penalty scorers as Croydon beat Liverpool Ladies on penalties in the FA Women's Cup final at The New Den.{{cite web|url=http://www.womensoccer.com/refs/clubs/englandclubs.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970214114115/http://www.womensoccer.com/refs/clubs/englandclubs.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1997-02-14|title=English clubs 95-96|publisher=Women's Soccer World|access-date=2009-11-11}} The following month goals from Sempare and Kerry Davis earned a 2–1 league win over Arsenal Ladies, which sealed a domestic double for Croydon.
Sempare retired at the end of that 1995–96 season, but returned to action during 1996–97. On 23 September 2010, she was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/England/womens-seniors/News/2010/Sempare|title=Sempare inducted into Hall of Fame|publisher=TheFA.com|access-date=2010-12-30|date=2010-09-23}}
International career
Sempare scored a goal in the final as England beat Italy in the final of the 1985 Mundialito.{{cite web |title=Brenda Sempare |url=https://nationalfootballmuseum.com/halloffame/brenda-sempare/ |website=National football Museum |access-date=23 December 2024}} While working as a postwoman Sempare helped England reach the semi-final of the 1987 European Competition for Women's Football, where they lost 3–2 to Sweden after extra time. She had also featured in the 1984 tournament,{{cite web|url=http://www.dbu.dk/landshold/landsholdsdatabasen/LBaseMatchInfo.aspx?matchid=1707|title=Danmark – England 0 – 1|publisher=DBU.dk|access-date=2010-12-30|archive-date=10 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610193136/http://www.dbu.dk/landshold/Landsholdsdatabasen/LBaseMatchInfo.aspx?matchid=1707|url-status=dead}} where England reached the final.
Sempare also played for England at the 1995 World Cup.
She was allotted 62 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England’s inaugural international.{{cite web |title=England player legacy and results archive |url=https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team/Legacy |website=Football Association |access-date=23 December 2024}}{{Cite web |last=Lacey-Hatton |first=Jack |date=2022-11-18 |title=Lionesses introduce 'legacy numbers' for players past and present |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/lionesses-introduce-legacy-numbers-players-28529161 |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=mirror |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{English Football Hall of Fame}}
{{England squad 1984 European Competition for Women's Football}}
{{England squad 1987 European Competition for Women's Football}}
{{England squad 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sempare, Brenda}}
Category:English women's footballers
Category:Fulham F.C. Women players
Category:Charlton Athletic W.F.C. players
Category:England women's international footballers
Category:English Football Hall of Fame inductees
Category:FA Women's National League players
Category:1995 FIFA Women's World Cup players