Gill Coultard
Former footballer Gill Coultard was the first female player to win 100 caps for England, whom she also captained. She played her club football for Doncaster Belles, making more than 300 appearances. Gill lives in Castleford,
What is your first Yorkshire memory? I grew up in Thorne, near Doncaster. My first memory is of
Yorkshire puddings. My mum had a big family. I was the youngest of eight children and she made us a Yorkshire pudding every single Sunday before we had our dinner. It fills me up and when I see Yorkshire puddings, it makes me think of my mum. We lived on a long road and we had a green which is where I started my football career from the age of nine. I didn’t get selected for the Doncaster schools’ team because I was a girl, not because of my talent, but then a teacher said “I’ll take you to Doncaster Belles.”
What is the favourite part of the county and why? Ilkley. It’s a fabulous place in summer and autumn. In my opinion, Ilkley is the best place to go for walks. It’s peaceful and quaint. To begin with I wasn’t aware of how high the hills were around the town.
What is your idea of a perfect day out or weekend out in Yorkshire? That would have to be York. You find something new every time. I love the Shambles where you can get lost.
Do you have a favourite walk or view? During lockdown I’ve enjoyed walking on the Castleford-Wakefield
Greenway, which takes you alongside the Aire-Calder Navigation. Being by the river and canal is refreshing.
Which Yorkshire sportsman or woman, past or present, would you like to take out for lunch? Without question, it has to be Kevin Keegan. He’s from Armthorpe in Doncaster. Kevin is one of my idols and I could relate to him when I was growing up. He’s a local lad and down to earth. I remember once playing at Bramall Lane. Kevin came out, we exchanged numbers and he said if you ever need anything, just give me a shout.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take out to dinner? Jane McDonald. I’ve watched her singing career grow from being on the cruise ships to where she is now. She’s had her own television shows and concerts. She’s humble but is now reaping the rewards.
If you could choose somewhere or some object from or in Yorkshire to own for the day, what would it be? This is going to shock you, but it’s the control tower at Leeds-Bradford Airport. I don’t like flying and I’m quite nervous, but I’m amazed how all these planes take off and land. So I’d love to sit in the control tower and watch how they get planes up to 35,000 feet and then all the way down. I want to see how it all comes together. I could sit all day in the pub near the airport and watch the planes take off and land.
What do you think it is which gives Yorkshire its unique identity? You’ve got to say the accents. Every accent in Yorkshire is different and some people are broader than others. We had a player at Doncaster Belles from Goldthorpe and she came out with sayings that even I’d not heard of. We also have other features that make us different like Harry Ramsden’s, Bettys and Yorkshire tarts and, of course, Yorkshire puddings.
Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub? Farmer Copleys in Pontefract.
It’s brilliant. You pull in and you think you’re going to a farm, and then you see the shop and the restaurant on the other side. They’ve built an extension, there’s a coffee house, you can hold banquets upstairs and the food’s fresh from the farm.
How do you think Yorkshire has changed, for the better or the worse, since you’ve known it? I think it has got better. We had to change following the Miners’ Strike and things have changed in Castleford in the last 20
years with new companies coming in. But life has changed dramatically since Covid-19. I’ve got to know my neighbours more. On the downside, when I go back to Thorne it’s like a ghost town. It’s sad to see, but villages get left behind.
If you had to change one thing in Yorkshire, what would it be? I want to see more football on the curriculum for girls. It helps fight obesity and you bring kids alive when they’re doing sport. From a women’s point of view, it has come on leaps and bounds, but girls are fighting battles to get facilities and being equal with boys. We’ve got to keep knocking on doors to get more funding.
Who is the Yorkshire person you admire the most? My mum, Peggy. She had a hard life and came from Goole. She had eight kids to bring up. My dad left us when I was three. Mum had two jobs and she made me appreciate money because we didn’t have a lot. But she gave us everything she possibly could for Christmas.
How has Yorkshire influenced your work? Massively. I’m proud to be a Yorkshire woman and proud to come from Thorne. In this world you’ve got to make your own luck. You’ve got to fight hard for what you want. I dreamt of becoming a footballer, playing for England and captaining the team. And I’ve done all that.
Do you have a favourite
Yorkshire entertainer, author, singer or band? I know that Lesley Garrett comes from Thorne, but I’m going back to Jane McDonald. She relates to Yorkshire people and when Jane sings you can hear in her voice what she means.
If a stranger came to Yorkshire and you had time to take that person to one place only, where would that be? To give that person a proper taste of Yorkshire, I think it’s a toss-up between Harry Ramsden’s and Bettys. Look, everyone says they’ve got the best fish and chips, so I’ve come to the conclusion it has to be Bettys whether it is in Harrogate, Ilkley, Northallerton or York. I’ve been to posh hotels in London and they don’t have the history that
Bettys has.