four years (1998–2002) out of the international set-up while having her two sons. She returned in early 2002 and subsequently captained England in two international friendlies against Sweden in February 2006 when Faye White was absent with an ankle injury, then again captained England in the absence of her teammate Faye White, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the start of the 2006/07 season, when they overcame France to secure passage to the World Cup in China. She was the first black player to captain an England women's international side. After being named in the squad for China, Phillip became the first English player to feature in two World Cup squads. In February 2008 Phillip was one of a record eight Arsenal players who started in England's 2–1 friendly win over Norway. She won a total of 65 caps for the national side. Coach and manager After her retirement as a player in 2008, Phillip became a coach, completing her A licence in the 2010s. In 2019 she became manager of Peckham Town, her local club, where she had coached first the Under-18s and then the senior squad; in 2020 they won the London Senior Trophy, the club's first cup win and the first for a senior men's side with a female manager. In 2021, she will be assisting Lydia Bedford in coaching the England women's Under-18 team as part of the Elite Coach Placement Programme. Honours Player Arsenal Women's Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08 UEFA Women's Cup: 2006–07 FA Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08 Premier League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07 Community Shield: 2005–06 Fulham Women's Premier League: 2002–03 FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03 Premier League Cup: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 Community Shield: 2002–03, 2003–04 Millwall Lionesses FA Cup: 1996–97 Premier League Cup: 1996–97 Manager Peckham Town London Senior Cup: 2019–20 Personal life Phillip has two sons and two daughters. She has multiple sclerosis, diagnosed in 2017. References External links Mary Phillip at The FA website 1977 births Living people English women's footballers England women's international footballers English people of Saint Lucian descent English people of Irish descent Black British sportswomen Millwall Lionesses L.F.C. players Fulham L.F.C. players Arsenal W.F.C. players Chelsea F.C. Women players FA Women's National League players 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup players 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players Women's association football defenders English football managers Footballers from Peckham