Sue Whyatt

Sue Whyatt
Personal information
Full name Susan Whyatt
Place of birth Macclesfield, England
Position Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971-74 Macclesfield Ladies
International career
1973 England 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sue Whyatt is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for England and Macclesfield Ladies. She was part of the squad for England's first ever official international match against Scotland in 1972.[1][2]

Early life

Whyatt was born in Macclesfield and started playing football after the 1966 FIFA World Cup, joining other local children playing in the road. She has said that the boys in her street needed a goalkeeper who would "dive on the tarmac".[3] She was particularly inspired by England goalkeeper Gordon Banks and later had the opportunity to meet him, crediting him for words of advice that helped her earn a spot in the England team.[4]

Club career

Unable to play competitive football with the boys at school, Whyatt discovered Macclesfield Ladies and went for a trial, after which she began playing for the team.[3]

International career

Following the lifting of the Football Association's ban on women's football, Whyatt tried out for the first official England team, succeeding at county, regional and national level before being selected for the squad.[4]

Whyatt was an unused substitute in England's first ever official international which was played against Scotland at Ravenscraig Stadium in Greenock.[5] Whyatt made her only appearance for England against Scotland on 23 June 1973, in England's 8–0 win at Manor Park, Nuneaton.[6][7] She came on as a second-half substitute in the 64th minute.[8] Although she only made one international appearance, she was included in several squads as the reserve goalkeeper and travelled across Europe with the England team.[3]

After football

Whyatt became a police officer in 1974. Initially she was assured that the police force would give her time off to play and train, but this proved difficult and she was forced to give up football.[4] She later became the first female police dog handler in her county.[3][9]

In 2022, Whyatt kickstarted a campaign for the FA to give legacy caps to all former Lionesses.[10] In November 2022, Whyatt was recognized by The Football Association as one of the England national team's legacy players, and as the 17th women's player to be capped by England.[11][12] She was among a group of former players invited to watch the current squad in training ahead of a match dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the England women's team.

References

  1. ^ "'She hitchhiked to play in first women's international'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Macclesfield's original Lioness celebrates England's Euro triumph". InYourArea.co.uk. 6 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Greensmith, Alex (11 August 2023). "Meet the Macclesfield woman who represented England as their second-ever goalkeeper". Macclesfield Nub News. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Burhan, Asif. "Original Lioness Believes Current European Champions Have Made Pioneer Players 'Less Invisible'". Forbes. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Representing England one of best moments in life, says pioneer Sue Whyatt". Football London. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  6. ^ "England goalkeeper sue Whyatt when will the FA give us our caps". Prospect Magazine. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  7. ^ "'Without you, we wouldn't be here'". englandfootball.com. The Football Association.
  8. ^ "Original Lionesses: 'We had it rough, we had to really fight'". BBC. 3 August 2022.
  9. ^ ""I certainly didn't think of it as making history" Sue Whyatt, the goalkeeper in the first ever England Women's football squad reflects on what it was like to step on the pitch. – UCLan Live". 9 March 2023.
  10. ^ Collins, Sarah. "England goalkeeper Sue Whyatt: Why has it taken the FA so long to give us our caps?". www.prospectmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  11. ^ "England Player Legacy and Results Archive" (Press release). The Football Association. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  12. ^ Lacey-Hatton, Jack (18 November 2022). "Lionesses introduce 'legacy numbers' for players past and present". Mirror. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
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