SHAY GIVEN AND LINDA GORMAN INDUCTED INTO FAI HALL OF FAME
Irish football legends Shay Given and Linda Gorman have been inducted into the FAI Hall of Fame as part of the 32nd FAI International Awards.
This is the fourth successive year that a male and female recipient have been honoured together in this category.
Donegal native Given is one of six centurions for the Republic of Ireland Men's Senior Team following his 134 appearances, which included a record 60 clean sheets.
Given was an outstanding goalkeeper who featured at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2012 and 2016 UEFA European Championships with Ireland. He led the team out as captain on six occasions over the course of an international career that spawned 20 years.
At club level, Given registered 451 games in the English Premier League - a record for an Irish player - as he won the FA Cup with Manchester City, the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Newcastle United and was twice selected in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Gorman, who hails from Finglas in Dublin, was part of the first ever Ireland Women's Senior Team that beat Wales 3-2 in May 1973. She was also a guest player on the Jeyes team that went on a four match tour of France to play against Stade de Reims.
A committed defender with a sharp footballing brain, Gorman became a leader on the pitch and was Ireland captain when she finished her playing career in 1985 - at the time she was the country's most-capped female footballer with 28 appearances.
Gorman never quite hung up the boots - she still plays Walking Football - but she did transition to coaching with Home Farm and then, in 1991, became the first female manager of the Ireland Women's Team.
Accepting her award today from FAI Chief Operating Officer David Courell, Linda Gorman said: “I am delighted to receive this award which has been 50 years in the making since I first played for Ireland. It is tremendous to receive this award on my own behalf but also I accept this on behalf of all the players, coaches and officials I played with and worked with over the years.”
Shay Given remarked: “It is such an honour to see my name on the list of Hall of Fame winners alongside the likes of John Giles, Paul McGrath, Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Liam Brady and Liam Tuohy to name just some of the legends who have received this award before me. Playing for Ireland always meant so much to me, it was the world to me, and I am delighted with this recognition.”
Both Given and Gorman are worthy recipients of the Hall of Fame award for their tremendous service to their respective international teams, their astounding impact on the game and their continued roles in promoting Irish football.
SHAY GIVEN AND LINDA GORMAN INDUCTED INTO FAI HALL OF FAME
