Hope: My Life in Football

At twelve years old Hope Powell was banned from playing football for her school team simply because she was a girl. Despite that early setback, she went on to break down barriers and to lead a complete transformation of the women’s game from the grassroots all the way to the very top.

With a hugely successful playing career spanning twenty years – including numerous trophies at club level and receiving the first of her 66 England caps at the age of sixteen – Powell was always going to make her mark on the game. Yet it was once she got her coaching badges and hung up her boots that she had the biggest impact.

In Hope: My Life in Football, Powell relives the highlights of a lifelong career in the sport – from her playing days, through her incredible fifteen-year tenure as England manager, to her being the first woman to gain the UEFA Pro Licence coaching qualification, and her time managing Great Britain Women at the 2012 Olympics.

A true role model, Powell has constantly commanded respect and refused to accept the prejudice and bigotry surrounding the women’s game. Hers is the inspirational story of one of the most influential figures in world football.