2001 IBV Position Forward Years Team Current team Celtic L.F.C. | Number 11 Role Football player Playing position Name Pauline Hamill | |
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Date of birth (1971-12-18) 18 December 1971 (age 44) | ||
Pauline Hamill (born 18 December 1971) is a former Scottish female international football forward who retired in 2011 while playing for Celtic in the Scottish Women's Premier League. Hamill made her senior Scotland debut in 1992 and has since amassed a record 141 appearances for the national team.
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A left–sided winger or forward, Hamill has enjoyed a long career at club level with spells in Iceland and England. She was the first woman to reach 100 caps for Scotland and retired having made the most appearances for the Scottish national team of any player, male or female.
Club career
Brought up in Airdrie, Hamill played for Craigburn Boys U-12s and Coltness Ladies before commencing her senior career with 13 years at Cumbernauld Ladies.
Playing for Stenhousemuir in 1999–00, Hamill failed to score in a 9–0 Scottish Women's Cup final win over Clyde.
After switching to Kilmarnock Ladies, Hamill spent the 2001 summer season in Iceland with IBV and scored 16 goals in the Úrvalsdeild. Back with Kilmarnock for the following season, Hamill scored in the Ayrshire club's 2-0 Women's Scottish Cup final win over local rivals Ayr United.
Hamill then joined Hibernian Ladies and, in July 2004, made her debut in European club competition with the Hibees. In summer 2005 Hamill signed for English Premier League team Doncaster Rovers Belles, where she impressed as a goalscoring midfielder. After a short spell back with Hibernian, Hamill returned to England in January 2008 and finished 2007–08 with Blackburn Rovers Ladies.
Hamill joined Spartans Women ahead of the 2010 Scottish Women's Premier League season. She had been playing for Celtic in the intervening period. Hamill returned to Celtic for season 2011.
International career
Hamill made her senior Scotland debut in a 1-0 Euro 1993 qualifier defeat to England in Walsall on 17 April 1992. In August 2007 Hamill became the first female player to win 100 caps for Scotland, in a friendly against Belgium at McDiarmid Park. Two months later Hamill won her 103rd cap, scoring in a 3-0 away win against Slovakia, overtaking Kenny Dalglish's record of 102 and becoming Scotland's most capped footballer of all time. Her last cap for the National Team was in an away draw v Denmark in 2010.
Coaching career
Hamill is coach of the SFA Women’s National Football Academy at the University of Stirling and of the Scotland national women's U–17 team. She is now entering her 5th year in this role. As well as being WU17 coach, Hamill has coached the WU15 previously and assisted with the WU19.
In July 2003 Hamill became the first ever female coach at Rangers FC, when she was appointed to a youth development role at the Murray Park training complex. Hamill completed her UEFA A licence in June 2013 and is starting an Msc in Performance Coaching at the University of Stirling, from September 2013.