The secret history of female football

Posted by Napat Wongpudee on September 26th, 2019

In the 1920's, there were an estimated 150 women in England.

But then the women's game was effectively banned by the FA at that time, saying that the football game "Not suitable for women"

It was another half a century until women's football stood again and it was the main reason for the game being lagging behind today.

When England started the Euro 2017 campaign in the Netherlands, let's look at some of the facts you might not know about women's games.

She played for Dick Kerr's ladies team, which was given the name from the Preston Weapon Factory, most of which worked during World War I. They are the first female team to play shorts and the first to go on a foreign tour.

Lily is a smoker and her wages are supplemented by woodbigs.

There was a tremendous growth in female football during the war when women were called to work at the factory that was left by men who fought.

On Christmas Day in 1917, 10,000 spectators watched the two women's teams play at Preston.

And when Dick Kerr, the lady, played at St Helen's Women's on Boxing Day 1920, they drew 53,000 crowds at Everton's Goodison Park, along with thousands of other fans trapped outside. Everton's highest attendance this season (2014/15) was 39,000, but women's games were effectively banned.

On December 5, 1921, the Football Association banned women from Football History playing on FA football fields, which meant that stars like Lily Parr could not be played in the audience.

FA at that time said that "The football game is quite inappropriate for women and should not be supported."