1. Carol Thomas is an English former footballer who played predominantly as a right-back; she is known for her 43-year club career and 9-year captaincy of the England women's national football team, during which she became the first women's international footballer to reach 50 caps.
Carol Thomas played club football for a variety of teams around the north of England and was the second captain of England in the modern era, taking over from Sheila Parker in 1976.
Carol Thomas remained England's longest continuous-serving captain before being overtaken by Faye White in 2011; she was the most successful captain of the England women's national team in terms of tournament successes until international titles were won under Leah Williamson.
Carol Thomas McCune was born on 5 June 1955 in Kingston upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire to Percy George "Mac" and Audrey McCune.
Carol Thomas's father was an amateur footballer who had been a founding member of Air Street United, a small local team; he, her uncles, and her older brother Michael, inspired her love of football.
Carol Thomas recalls kicking a ball around with them until she was eleven, being inspired by England winning the 1966 FIFA World Cup to play more seriously.
Carol Thomas married Alan Thomas in July 1979; they skipped a honeymoon to fly out to Italy with the England squad shortly thereafter, for Carol Thomas to take part in that year's unofficial European Championship.
Alan played for and managed Aldbrough United in the East Riding County League, and some Sunday league football, saying he always knew Carol Thomas would be much more successful in the sport than him.
Carol Thomas had retired to start a family, not expecting to return to football.
Carol Thomas played in her first competitive game in September 1966, when she was 11; that summer her family had moved house to be closer to her father's work, with one of their new neighbours playing for BOCM Ladies.
Carol Thomas impressed while playing for BOCM; national football administrator Flo Bilton was involved with the league and asked Thomas to join the local team she coached for Reckitt, Reckitts Ladies.
Carol Thomas then joined Reckitts' local rivals, Hull Brewery Ladies, "after a couple of seasons"; she stayed with the team, which played in the Hull Women's League, for many years.
Carol Thomas earned a regular spot in the Hull and District representative team as a teenager, and was called to both the Northern England and England teams in 1974.
In 1974, when Carol Thomas was establishing herself in the Northern England team, she was invited to the first all-women coaching course held at the then-national footballing centre, Lilleshall.
Carol Thomas made two substitute appearances before becoming the first choice right back.
Carol Thomas retained her captaincy under Tranter's successor Martin Reagan and became an ever-present until September 1985; she recalls that she missed only one England match between her first call-up and retirement, a 1985 match against Wales that took place on the Isle of Man, with most of the squad's Northern players unable to go "due to logistical and financial restraints".
The team's record under Carol Thomas saw them reach at least the semi-finals in all seven tournaments in which they competed, winning two: the 1976 Pony Home Championship and the 1985 Mundialito.
Carol Thomas was pregnant before her retirement, and was known to joke that her eldest child was the only man to play a women's international game.
Carol Thomas was the 22nd player to represent the Lionesses, and was given this as her legacy number by the FA in 2022, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the women's team.
In 1993, Carol Thomas came out of retirement to help establish local club AFC Preston; initially helping out and coaching the team, she quickly found herself wanting to play again, joining the club regularly.
Carol Thomas continued playing for both teams until 2002, taking a break but being drawn back into football two years later when asked to help set-up Brandesburton Ladies.
Carol Thomas retired from Brandesburton at the age of 54 in 2009, at which point she was a midfielder, stopping playing after 43 years.
In 2019, Carol Thomas reflected that the Football Association, which began administering the England women's team in 1992, seemed to her to act like there was no team before their involvement, which she felt was erasing the team's achievements of her era.
Carol Thomas saw greater recognition come as women's football grew in popularity in the 2020s: in November 2021 she was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame; in April 2022, a plaque was unveiled in her honour in Hull at the East Riding County FA building; and in June 2022 she was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to association football and charity.