When the WFA National League kicked off in 1991, Doncaster Belles were England’s pre-eminent women’s team. And in Gill Coultard they had one of the country’s finest players, who captained both her club and national teams as the women’s game made significant strides forward during the League’s first decade.

Coultard was central to Doncaster’s achievements, the Belles having been serial winners of regional leagues before the inauguration of the National League and also regular FA Cup finalists – incredibly, they appeared in all but one of the finals from 1984 to 1994. 

But despite their hugely impressive League and Cup records, the versatile Coultard – who began her playing career as a winger then moved into central midfield before playing her final few seasons as sweeper – was not totally committed to the idea of a National League.

“I was only 50/50 for it,” admitted Coultard as she recalled contemplating the step up from regional league football to playing on a nationwide basis.

“For one thing it meant so much more travelling,” she added. “Players held down full-time jobs and we didn't have the luxury of overnight stays for away games. 

“So it meant we’d sometimes be leaving Doncaster at 6.30 on a Sunday morning, and by the time we’d be getting back home – especially from London traffic – it wouldn’t be until 10pm – and some Mondays I’d be starting work at 7am! 

“But then, as a player you want to test yourself against better teams and as a club, in truth, we’d outgrown the leagues we’d been playing in. So a national league was the obvious next step in the growth of the women’s game. 

“To start with there still weren’t that many teams in the league – maybe three or four – who could give us a difficult game; we could still go out for a drink on a Saturday night and then play on the Sunday, like we’d usually done before.”

As if to prove Coultard’s point about the initial lack of tough encounters in the League, they became the opening season’s champions with a 100 per cent record and also won the FA Cup to become the first team to do the prestigious double.

Bigger challenges were awaiting them in the seasons ahead, however, and clubs such as Arsenal, Croydon and Everton forced ‘Donny’ into second or third-place finishes in the years ahead of Coultard’s retirement in 2001.

“Teams eventually started taking a more professional approach,” noted Coultard, “and so fitness levels improved and the League became a lot more competitive season by season. But that was a good thing for all of us, because we were all becoming better players and better teams.

“It also had a knock-on effect in our international football. The improvements we were making meant we became more competitive as a national team. We were a way behind the best international teams in the 1990’s, but we kept getting closer and I think we laid the foundations for the successes of later England teams.”

Coultard had a stellar England career, becoming the first female player to make 100 international appearances and ending with 125 caps. Having started in senior club football at the tender age of 13, she made her England debut at 17 in 1981 and was a key member of the line-up for the next 20 years.

Her retirement from international football came shortly before she hung up her boots for good, leaving her with a whole host of memories from three decades in the game. “I had a fantastic time in football, on and off the pitch,” she said.

“Making my England debut and then winning my 100th cap were my proudest moments, but there were lots of proud moments with the Belles as well.

“Winning the National League in that first season was obviously a big standout, but for me it was always playing in FA Cup finals that gave me the biggest thrills in club football.

“And the camaraderie at Belles was fantastic. We played as hard off the pitch as we did off it and had so many laughs over the years. And that camaraderie has stayed with us – whenever we meet up, years now after we’ve all finished playing, we have a great time. As we always sang: ‘Once a Belle, always a Belle’.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Images from Julian Barker and Simon Mooney.