On this day in 2013: Hope Powell sacked as England boss

Hope Powell’s 15-year reign as England head coach came to an end on this day in 2013 as the Football Association decided the time was right “for a fresh outlook”.

Following a successful playing career Powell took on the head coach role in 1998, guiding England to the European Championship final in 2009, where they lost 6-2 to Germany.

The Lionesses, however, crashed out of Euro 2013 at the group stage, taking just one point to finish bottom of Group C as Powell ultimately paid the price for the dismal showing in Sweden.

Regarding the decision, then-FA general secretary Alex Horne said: “Hope deserves a lot of credit for her commitment to developing the national teams over such a long period.

Powell also coached the Great Britain women’s football team at the 2012 Olympics (Nick Potts/PA).

“However, after the disappointment of the recent tournament in Sweden, the Club England board believe the time is right to make a change and for a fresh outlook.”

Mark Sampson was appointed as the full-time successor to Powell, taking over in December 2013 and leading England to third place at the 2015 World Cup and the semi-finals of Euro 2017.

Powell, who also led Great Britain’s women’s football team to the quarter-finals of the 2012 Olympics, went on to spend five years as Brighton boss before taking up a post as technical director at Birmingham in July.