Carol Thomas
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carol Thomas | ||
| Date of birth | 5 June 1955 | ||
| Place of birth | Hull, England | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1966– | BOCM Ladies | ||
| – | Reckitts Ladies | ||
| – | Hull Brewery Ladies | ||
| – | Tottenham Hotspur Ladies | ||
| – | Preston Ladies (Lancashire) | ||
| – | CP Doncaster Ladies | ||
| –1985 | Rowntree Ladies | ||
| 1993–2002 | AFC Preston (East Riding of Yorkshire) | ||
| 2004–2009 | Brandsburton Ladies | ||
| 1970–1985 | Hull and District Ladies Representative Team | ||
| 1974–1985 | Northern Region | ||
| 1995–2002 | East Riding County FA Representative Team | ||
| National team | |||
| 1974–1985 | England | 56 | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Carol Thomas (née McCune; born 5 June 1955) is an English former footballer and was the second captain of England, taking over from Sheila Parker in 1976. She is the most successful captain of the England women's national team in terms of tournament successes and recognised as one the genuine but unsung pioneers of the modern women's game. Thomas became captain at the age of 21 and held that position until her retirement with a then record 56 caps in 1985. She remained the longest, continuous serving captain for a period of 26 years before being overtaken by Faye White in 2011.
Thomas was a sturdy right-sided defender, who refused offers of professionalism from Italy and New Zealand in order to maintain the strict amateur status which was enforced by the Women's Football Association at that time. She was a leading women's footballing figure in the north of England and in particular her home area of Yorkshire, appearing in and on local and national media and, when on tours, the foreign media.
Thomas's first competitive game was at the age of 11 in September 1966, having being inspired by the World Cup success of that year, for BOCM Ladies as a traditional right winger. She was also encouraged by watching her father Percy, who had been a keen amateur footballer and a founder member of a local team called Air Street United. Her talents were quickly recognised and she was snapped up by Reckitts Ladies, then under the tutelage of Flo Bilton. A move to local rivals Hull Brewery Ladies followed, gaining recognition with the Hull and District Representative team, the North of England squad and an eventual England call up.
At club level she made occasional guest appearances for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies, and for a season played for Preston Rangers, Lancashire. Several seasons at CP Doncaster Ladies followed before finishing her England representative career with Rowntrees Ladies.
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