Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown (born 2 July 1980) is an English former football goalkeeper who played for Liverpool from 1995 to 1998, spent five years from 1998 playing varsity soccer for Alabama Crimson Tide and Pittsburgh Panthers in the US college system, and played for Everton from 2003 until 2014. She also spent the 2003 season on loan in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild, playing for ÍBV. Since making her debut for the England women's national football team in 1997, Brown won over 80 caps. She understudied Pauline Cope in her first years with the national team, then served as England's first choice goalkeeper at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and UEFA Women's Euro 2009. Due to injuries, Brown was displaced in the team by Karen Bardsley for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was also selected in the Great Britain squad for the 2012 London Olympics. Brown was the goalkeeper on Channel Five's Superstars and is employed by Everton FC's Community Project. She married professional golf caddie Ian Finnis in 2013 and has since been known as Rachel Brown-Finnis. Club career Early career Brown was born in Burnley, Lancashire, and attended St Christopher's CE High School in Accrington. She began playing football as a goalkeeper at primary school, in a boys' team. She said: "They were reluctant to let me join in. It was a case of, 'OK, if you must play you'd better go in goal.'" After a few years of not playing in a team, due to The Football Association (FA) rules prohibiting mixed gender teams, Brown joined Accrington Ladies. Being younger than the required 14, Brown played local open age football for the club. Just after her 15th birthday, Brown joined Premier League National Division team Liverpool Ladies. She was scouted at an Easter holidays goalkeeping camp run by Bob Wilson in London, where Brown was the only female of 48 attendees. After applying for the camp through Match magazine, Brown was presented with the Player of the Camp award by David Seaman. Having expected to understudy Liverpool's experienced former England goalkeeper Tracey Davidson, Brown became first choice when Davidson quit football approximately three weeks later.