DURING her career, Marieanne Spacey played at the highest level for both club and country, making her one of the best known figures in the women's game.

The prolific striker, who made her name with Arsenal and Fulham Ladies, scored 28 goals for England from 91 caps, including at the 1995 World Cup finals.

Now she has been snapped up by the Worcestershire Football Association to raise the profile of female football in the county.

Manager of Fulham Ladies from 2003 until this year, Spacey began her role as girl's and women's development officer at the county FA's Hampton Lovett Industrial Estate base this week.

It is a position she has not experienced since a taste with Arsenal in 2000 but is relishing the prospect.

"It is a challenge I am looking forward to," said Spacey, who made her England debut against Belgium in 1984.

"I have been out of development a few years now and obviously things have moved forward since I was in place before but it's a nice county to work for and I felt comfortable as soon as I came in here.

"There's a lot to learn still and a lot to get my head around but the people here are very good and will help me do that.

"It's a great team and a great work ethic of everybody wanting to do the best for everybody and raise standards which is, in terms of football, what we've got to do."

Spacey's addition to the county scene is a definite coup for development manager Andy Norman and her association with England a huge feather in the county's cap.

Her rise to the top from kicking a ball about with her family is no doubt something officials hope will inspire young girls across Worcestershire.

"If I didn't go out and play with my dad, my uncle or my brother, I was just stuck indoors," Spacey said.

"I played in a five-a-side league and our team won the Metropolitan Police five-a-side competition and from there I got spotted by a team called Friends of Fulham. I was 13 at the time and went from there. I got invited to England trials at 16 and made my debut at 18."

Then followed an illustrious career, taking in spells with two of the Women's Premier League's top teams and England, before turning her hand to coaching.

Spacey, currently working towards her A' Licence, said: "I managed at Fulham for three seasons and then they cut the funding for the women's team so my job became obsolete and then it was just a case of wanting to stay in football and taking the best opportunity that came my way, which was this one.

"My role is basically to continue the work put in by Louise (Thornton) and Julie (Leroux) before me to develop opportunities for girls and women in football, not just players but volunteers who want to coach, administrate in the game and generally raise the standard of football in the county for girls and women.

"I think we've got a lot of backing from Sir Trevor Brooking in development at the FA and the regional development officers are very keen to make sure that the standards of all football are raised and that's what we aim to do here at the county."

The 40-year-old is joining the Worcestershire set-up at a time of prosperity with the increase in female football participation something she wants to build on, especially since England have qualified for next year's World Cup in China.

"The situation is quite healthy," she said. "Kidderminster Harriers have got a centre of excellence, which is a great step forward, and there's quite a few girls at the moment playing football in schools and in clubs and a women's league is up and running as well.

"The main aim is that everybody has an opportunity to play or to be involved.

"Whether it's girls just wanting to play for fun with their mates or whether it's girls that want to become international players or if it's just mums who want to help out with the administration.

"You want to make sure that a girl can come in at the age of eight and play consistently in a team with her mates if she wants to or become the best she can at international level.

"It's important that people are aware that there are pathways and it's important that those pathways are sustainable so that any talented player can come in and see at the end of it a target, which could be international football.

"For me that's where my profile hopefully will help and encourage people to do that."