Marieanne Spacey

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Marieanne Spacey
{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}}}

| fullname = Marieanne Spacey

| image = Arsenal LFC v Kelly Smith All-Stars XI (171) (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Marieanne Spacey in 2017

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1966|02|13}}

| birth_place = Sutton, London, England

| height =

| position = Second striker
Attacking midfielder

| currentclub = Southampton FC Women (interim manager)

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = British Oxygen

| years1 =

| clubs1 = Friends of Fulham

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1989

| clubs2 = HJK Helsinki

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1989–1993

| clubs3 = Friends of Fulham

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 1993–2002

| clubs4 = Arsenal Ladies

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| years5 = 2002–2005

| clubs5 = Fulham Ladies

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| nationalyears1 = 1984–2001

| nationalteam1 = England

| nationalcaps1 = 94

| nationalgoals1 = 30

| manageryears1 = 2003–2006

| managerclubs1 = Fulham Ladies

| manageryears2 = 2018–2024

| managerclubs2 = Southampton FC Women

| manageryears3 = 2025–

| managerclubs3 = Southampton FC Women (interim)

| club-update =

| ntupdate =

}}

Marieanne Spacey-Cale (née Spacey), {{post-nominals|country=GBR|commas=on|MBE}} (born 13 February 1966){{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/football/features/newsid_2062000/2062840.stm|title=Spacey says: "Give footy a go!"|publisher=BBC Sport Academy|access-date=11 November 2009 | date=10 July 2002}} is an English former international women's footballer who is currently the interim manager of Women's Championship club Southampton FC Women. Having played 94 times for England, Spacey is considered one of the greatest English footballers of all time. From 2018 to 2024, she was head coach of Southampton FC Women.{{Cite web|url=https://southamptonfc.com/news/2018-07-16/announcement-marieanne-spacey-cale-head-of-girls-and-women-southampton|title=Saints appoint Marieanne Spacey-Cale MBE|website=Southampton FC|access-date=31 May 2019}}

Club career

Spacey was prevented from participating in boys' football at school but joined British Oxygen's women's team at the age of 13 in 1979.{{harvnb|Lopez|1997|p=107}} She played for Friends of Fulham under the tutelage of Fred Brockwell and was reported to have signed for Italian club Roi Lazio as a 19-year–old in 1985.{{cite news|title=Women footballers are lured by the lire / English women to become professional soccer players in Italy|author=Simon Barnes|work=The Times|date=21 November 1985}} Spacey also played for HJK Helsinki in Finland.{{cite news|url=http://tescoskills.thefa.com/Coaches/MarieanneSpacey |title=Marieanne Spacey |publisher=The Football Association |access-date=2 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716232846/http://tescoskills.thefa.com/Coaches/MarieanneSpacey |archive-date=16 July 2011 }} The Finnish move came about through Spacey's England teammate Louise Waller, who had played for HJK the previous summer. After playing in Friends of Fulham's 3–2 WFA Cup final defeat to Leasowe Pacific at Old Trafford in April 1989, Spacey flew out to Helsinki with Waller and remained until September.{{harvnb|White|2001|p=38}} Spacey then returned to England and scored 12 goals in the first five games of the 1991–92 season for her old club, who became known as Wimbledon Ladies in 1991.

Spacey then spent eight seasons with Arsenal from 1993, before moving to Fulham on a professional contract in the 2002 close season. She had missed the second part of 1995–96 due to pregnancy.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/quotes-of-the-week-1523716.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110155010/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/quotes-of-the-week-1523716.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2012|title=Quotes of the week|work=The Independent|access-date=2 February 2011|date=2 December 1995}} In her final season with Arsenal she was the leading goalscorer and FA Players' Player of the Year, also winning a Sport Relief special achievement award.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2977285.stm|title=Fulham squad profiles:Marieanne Spacey|work=BBC Sport|date=25 April 2003|access-date=11 November 2009}} Throughout her Arsenal career Spacey had enjoyed great success as a deep–lying forward player, helping The Gunners win numerous trophies.

Vic Akers said of Spacey's career in 2009:

{{Cquote|"Marieanne was one of the most feared forwards in the game. She had good technique, ability on the ball, pace and power, and she was capable of scoring goals from all over the pitch – many of them from distance."}}

In 2002–03 Spacey won a domestic treble with Fulham.

International career

Spacey made her debut for England against Belgium on 20 August 1984. She played in all four of England's games at their first FIFA Women's World Cup appearance in 1995.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=428/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813022305/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=428/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 August 2009|title=England:Marie Anne Spacey|publisher=FIFA|access-date=11 November 2009}} Having finished playing for England with a respectable 76 appearances, Spacey was later recalled by Hope Powell to add experience in midfield.{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/Inductees/MarieanneSpacey.html|title=Marieanne Spacey|publisher=National Football Museum|author=Robert Galvin|access-date=2 February 2011}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Spacey was surprised by the development: "I honestly thought that wouldn't happen again. When I got the letter my legs went weak. I've played 76 times for England and now I feel like the new girl!"{{cite web|url=http://on-the-ball.com/interviews/marieanne.htm |title=Marieanne Spacey |work=On the Ball |access-date=27 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010309193144/http://on-the-ball.com/interviews/marieanne.htm |archive-date=9 March 2001 }} She went on to play a total of 91 times for her country, scoring 28 goals before retiring after UEFA Women's Euro 2001, aged 36.

Among Spacey's achievements with England were two Mundialito tournament wins in 1985 and 1988. She scored twice in the 1985 final against hosts Italy as England won 3–2 in Caorle. In May 1990 Spacey scored at Wembley Stadium in an exhibition match played against Scotland. The following April she scored a hat-trick against the same opposition in a 5–0 friendly win at Adams Park in Wycombe. When The Football Association (FA) took over running the national team in 1993, Spacey plundered four goals in the first game that September, a 10–0 win over Slovenia in Ljubljana.

She was allotted 65 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England’s inaugural international.{{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}}{{cite press release |url=https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team/Legacy?tab=Players |title=ENGLAND PLAYER LEGACY AND RESULTS ARCHIVE |date=18 November 2022 |access-date=28 January 2025 |publisher=The Football Association}}

Coaching career

Spacey has a UEFA Pro Licence. She became manager of Fulham Ladies when they reverted to semi–pro status in 2003, but left in 2006 after Fulham scrapped their women's team altogether.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/women/4988138.stm|title=Fulham pull plug on women's team|work=BBC Sport|date=16 May 2006|access-date=11 November 2009}} Later that year she became a senior coach for AFC Wimbledon Ladies.{{cite web|url=http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/dtdocs/061019-sgm/061019-dt-sgm-06-quarterly_report-0306.pdf|title=Dons Trust Quarterley Report 03/06|publisher=AFC Wimbledon|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211151147/http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/dtdocs/061019-sgm/061019-dt-sgm-06-quarterly_report-0306.pdf|archive-date=11 December 2007}} Spacey later coached the England Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 teams as well as working in the coaching departments of Arsenal and Charlton Athletic.

In November 2006 she was appointed girls and women's football development officer for the Worcestershire FA.{{cite news|url=http://archive.worcesternews.co.uk/2006/11/6/434722.html|title=Women's Football: Spacey set to inspire soccer stars|publisher=Kidderminster Shuttle|date=6 November 2006|access-date=11 November 2009}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In December 2013, Spacey was appointed assistant to England women's manager Mark Sampson.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25405138|title=Brent Hills and Marieanne Spacey take up new roles|work=BBC Sport|date=16 December 2013|access-date=16 December 2013}} She was part of Mark Sampson's coaching staff when the Lionesses came third at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada in 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2018/jul/16/marieanne-spacey-cale-joins-southampton-160718|title=The FA – Marieanne Spacey-Cale Joins Southampton|date=16 July 2018|website=The FA|access-date=31 May 2019}} In 2017, with Spacey as head coach, the England under-23 team won the Nordic tournament in Sweden, beating Norway 2–0 in the final match.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2017/jun/12/nordic-tournament-england-u23s-norway-match-report-120617|title=The FA – Nordic Tournament England U23s Norway Match Report|date=12 June 2017|website=The FA|access-date=31 May 2019}}

In July 2018, Southampton F.C. announced that Spacey would be joining as the head of girls and women's football technical department, based at the Staplewood Campus full-time and also overseeing the club's Regional Talent Club. The club said her appointment was intended to help their women's team's "future goal" of playing in the FA Women's Championship. Their initial bid, to join the inaugural Championship, was rejected by The FA.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/16254197.southamptons-bid-to-join-womens-league-unsuccessful/|title=Saints' bid to join women's league unsuccessful|website=Daily Echo|access-date=31 May 2019}}

In her first season as head coach of the senior women's team, who played in the FA Women's National League, Premier Division South, the team completed the double, winning the league title with a 18 wins from 18 games and the League Cup.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2018/jul/02/fa-womens-leagues-competitions-summary-2018-19|title=FA Women's Leagues and Competitions|last=Association|first=The Football|publisher=The Football Association|access-date=31 May 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://southamptonfc.com/news/2019-05-19/marieanne-spacey-cale-southampton-fc-women-post-league-cup-final|title=Spacey-Cale hails double-winning Saints|website=Southampton FC|access-date=31 May 2019}}

At the end of the 2023–24 season, Spacey stepped down as head coach of Southampton and took a new role leading the club's women's and girls' programme.{{Cite web |date=30 April 2024 |title=Spacey-Cale steps down as Southampton head coach |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cp4gk0xlpnqo |access-date=30 April 2024 |website=BBC Sport}} Following the departure of Remi Allen on 28 February 2025, Spacey returned as manager on a temporary basis until the end the season.{{Cite web |date=28 February 2025 |title=Remi Allen departs Women's First Team by mutual agreement |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/remi-allen-departs-womens-first-team-by-mutual-agreement |access-date=22 March 2025 |website=Southampton FC}}{{Cite web |date=28 February 2025 |title=Southampton manager Allen leaves club |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ce8v41qq3j5o |access-date=22 March 2025 |website=BBC Sport}}

Honours

Spacey was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/2009%20hall%20of%20fame.html |title=Latest News – Hall of Fame 2009 |publisher=National Football Museum |access-date=11 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713093625/http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/2009%20hall%20of%20fame.html |archive-date=13 July 2009 }}

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to football.{{London Gazette|issue=61608 |supp=y|page=B24|date=11 June 2016}}

She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Sport by the University of Chichester in 2022.{{Cite web |title=Honorary Awards |url=https://www.chi.ac.uk/alumni/honorary-awards/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=University of Chichester |language=en-GB}}

References

Bibliography

{{Cite book |last1=Lopez |first1=Sue |author-link= Sue Lopez|title=Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football |publisher=Scarlet Press |year=1997 |location=London, England |isbn=1857270169 }}
{{Cite book |last1=White |first1=Nick |title=Sun, Sea and Sexy Football: The Life and Times of British Footballers Abroad |publisher=Invextus |year=2001 |location=London, England |isbn=0954161009 }}