Linda Gorman (born 17 November 1953) is an Irish football coach and former player, who managed the Republic of Ireland women's national football team from 1991 until 1992.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 November 1953[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Civil Defence | |||
| Avengers | |||
| Suffragettes | |||
| Tolka Rovers | |||
| Belvedere | |||
| Elm Rovers | |||
| International career | |||
| 1973–1985 | Ireland | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1991–1992 | Ireland | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
As a player she was a tenacious full-back. After watching Ireland's 1–0 1987 European Competition for Women's Football qualifying win over Northern Ireland at Glenmalure Park on 5 May 1985, Con Houlihan praised Gorman in his Evening Press column:[2]
The veteran now is a girl who looks like she should still be at school. I first saw her play about eight years ago – against Wales at Tolka Park. She was brilliant that day – and in the meantime has collected twenty-five caps. Her name is Linda Gorman – yesterday she was captain and left back. She is a small girl – but she would put manners on Norman Whiteside.
Gorman grew up in Ballygall. She represented several Dublin teams at club level, and made her debut as a player for Ireland in 1973. She won over 20 caps and from retired from international football as captain and Ireland's record cap holder in 1985.[3]
In 1991 she succeeded Fran Rooney to become the first female head coach of the senior Republic of Ireland women's national football team. She left the position a year later, unhappy at poor standards at the Ladies Football Association of Ireland (LFAI)[3] and was replaced by Mick Cooke.
Liam Tuohy approached Gorman to start a women and girls' section at Home Farm. She later moved into coaching the club's boys' teams with great success.[3] In November 2022 Gorman was inducted to the Football Association of Ireland Hall of Fame.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Linda Gorman". Football Association of Ireland. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Houlihan, Con (6 May 1985). "Fair lassies all striving and swinging in the rain". Evening Press. p. 16.
- ^ a b c Fennessy, Paul (2 May 2022). "How Ireland's first-ever female manager thrived in spite of everything". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Locke, Cian (23 November 2022). "Shay Given and Linda Gorman inducted into FAI Hall of Fame". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  | This biographical article related to women's association football in the Republic of Ireland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |