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Cheryl Foster

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Welsh footballer and referee

Cheryl Foster
MBE
Personal information
Full name Cheryl Foster
Date of birth (1980-10-04) 4 October 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Bangor, Wales
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Conwy Devils
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–2003 Bangor City
2003–2012 Liverpool
2010 → St Francis (loan)
2013 Doncaster Rovers Belles 3 (1)
International career
1997–2011 Wales 63 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 May 2010 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Cheryl Foster MBE (born 4 October 1980) is a Welsh football referee and former player. She became the all-time record appearance holder for the Wales women's national football team in 2009, after making her senior international debut in 1997. At club level Foster spent nine years with Liverpool, playing in the first two seasons of the FA WSL in 2011 and 2012. She signed for Liverpool's FA WSL rivals Doncaster Rovers Belles in January 2013, before retiring later that season.

Playing career

Club career

After starting her career at Conwy Devils, Foster moved to Bangor City and was the club's Northern Division top-scorer in every season from 1999–00 to 2002–03. She also represented the club in the UEFA Women's Cup.

In summer 2003 Foster joined an exodus of players leaving Bangor City for Liverpool. By season 2009–10, she was Liverpool Ladies' longest serving player. That season she was the Northern Division top goalscorer with 16 goals as Liverpool romped to the title. Foster and Liverpool teammate Kelly Jones joined FAI Women's Cup winners St Francis on loan for a 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying tournament in August 2010.

Foster had planned to retire at the age of 30 years, but changed her mind in order to play in the FA WSL. She then scored Liverpool's first goal in the new competition, helping them to a 3–3 opening day draw against local rivals Everton.

In October 2012 Foster was amongst ten players to be released by Liverpool. She signed for Doncaster Rovers Belles in January 2013. During the 2013 mid-season break Foster left Doncaster after struggling to balance the demands of travel and training with her career outside football. She announced her intention to start coaching and that she would consider whether to continue playing.

International career

Foster represented Wales at youth level, winning five U16 caps, four U18 caps and scoring one goal in a single U20 appearance.

Her full debut was in 1997 and she captained the side on her 50th appearance, a 3–0 friendly win over Slovenia in Llanelli in August 2009. Foster won a record 52nd cap in Wales's 2–1 defeat in Azerbaijan in October 2009.

In May 2014, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) recognised Foster's 63 appearances with the award of a golden cap at half-time of Wales' 4–0 win over Montenegro in Bangor.

International goals

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 25 May 2002 Ottensheim, Austria  Austria 1–? 1–1 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
2. 14 March 2003 Lagoa, Portugal  Portugal 1–1 1–1 2003 Algarve Cup
3. 16 March 2004 Albufeira, Portugal  Portugal ?–? 3–2 2004 Algarve Cup
4. ?–?
5. 26 March 2006 Newtown, Wales  Moldova 1–0 3–0 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
6. 20 August 2006 Waalwijk, Netherlands  Israel 1–0 3–1
7. 18 November 2006 Strumica, North Macedonia  Faroe Islands 1–0 2–1 UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying
8. 21 November 2006  North Macedonia 4–0 6–0
9. 6–0

Refereeing

After deciding not to extend her career as a player in 2013, Foster instead started training as a referee. She was an assistant referee at the 2013–14 Welsh Women's Cup final. In December 2015, during her third season as a referee, Foster was named on the FIFA international list.

On 18 August 2018, she became the first female referee to take charge of a Welsh Premier League game. In May 2023, she was named as the referee for the 2023 UEFA Women's Champions League final between Barcelona and Wolfsburg on 3 June 2023. On 9 January 2023, FIFA appointed her to the officiating pool for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Personal life

From Llandudno, North Wales. Her parents Stephen and Christina Foster continue to be her biggest supporters alongside her two sisters. Foster is a Liverpool FC supporter and works as a P.E. teacher at Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School, Chester.

She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours "for services to association football and to women's sport".

Honours

Club

Liverpool

References

  1. ^ "Ladies football: Chester schoolteacher Cheryl Foster become most capped player in Welsh women's football history". The Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Players". Liverpool Ladies FC. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  3. "Bangor City Girls Football Club". Bangor City Girls Football Club. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  4. "Cheryl Foster". UEFA.com. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  5. "Bangor City Girls Football Club". Bangor City Girls Football Club. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  6. "Key figures honoured at Women's awards". TheFA.com. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  7. "St Francis overhaul three-goal deficit". She Kicks. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  8. "No longer in it for kicks: women's football turns pro". The Independent. London. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  9. Liam Chronnell (15 April 2011). "Reds boss praises battling spirit". TheFA.com. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  10. "Ladies release 10 players". Liverpool Ladies FC. 17 October 2012. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  11. Paterson, Hayley (10 January 2013). "Belles snap up talented duo". Doncaster Free Press. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  12. "Fozzy leaves the Belles". Doncaster Rovers Belles L.F.C. 11 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  13. "Women – A Squad – Cheryl Foster". FAW.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. "Match Report – Wales 3 – 0 Slovenia". FAW.org.uk.
  15. "Match Report – Azerbaijan 2 – 1 Wales". FAW.org.uk.
  16. "Wales v Montenegro - Wales Win With Ease". Football Association of Wales. 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. "Golden girl Foster will train as ref and coach". North Wales Daily Post. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  18. "Brown fires Cardiff Met to Women's Cup Glory". Football Association of Wales. 13 April 2014.
  19. "Welsh referees make FIFA international list". Football Association of Wales. 3 December 2015. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. "WELSH PREMIER". 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018 – via PressReader.
  21. "Cheryl Foster to referee 2023 UEFA Women's Champions League final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  22. "Match officials appointed for FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™" (Press release). FIFA. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  23. "No. 64423". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2024. p. B18.

External links

Referees at UEFA Women's Euro 2022
Referees at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
AFC
CAF
CONCACAF
CONMEBOL
OFC
UEFA
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