Marieanne Spacey paid tribute to former England Women’s head coach Martin Reagan, who sadly passed away on Boxing Day aged 92.
Reagan took over the Lionesses in 1979 and was in charge for 96 matches during his 11-year tenure.
He led them to the European Championship final in 1984 and twice won the Mundialito Tournament.
Reagan helped shape the careers of a number of players who would become instrumental in helping women’s football become as big as it is today.
He handed debuts to current assistant boss and former striker Spacey, former player and head coach Hope Powell and Gill Coultard, the first Lioness to earn 100 caps.
Spacey tweeted:
Martin Reagan, my first England Women's coach. A gentleman who everyone that came into contact with him walked away smiling #RIP
— Marieanne Spacey (@marieannespacey) January 7, 2017
Coultard said: “Martin Reagan gave me my [England] debut and you all know what I went on to do.”
Reagan played for Hull City, Middlesbrough, York City, Portsmouth, Norwich City and Shrewsbury Town.
Powell said: “Martin was a real gentleman and a lovely human being.
“He tried to move the women’s game forward at a time when resources were minimal. He did his job for the love of the game and made the best of what we had at the time.
“It was a difficult job because the team had nothing compared to what it has these days.
“He was well regarded and well respected by the players. As a coach, he was far more knowledgeable than most of us in the squad had experienced before. He managed things very well and made it more professional. We were considered one of the best teams in Europe.
“He was a big influence on my career because he gave me that opportunity to play international football.
“That opened up a whole new world to me and made me decide that I wanted a career in professional football.”
