WHEN WOMEN'S FOOTBALL WAS BANNED

Women’s History Month

Each year between the 1st - 31st March is Women’s History Month in the UK. It is aligned with International Women’s Day on March 8th, with the aim of drawing attention to the many achievements of women throughout history which have gone by unrecognised and uncelebrated. 
 
   “Women’s history isn’t just about what happened in the past; it’s about empowering future generations to understand their worth and their place in shaping the world.”
Molly Murphy MacGregor, co-founder of National Women’s History Alliance
 
This year the theme is: Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.

​When Women’s Football was Banned

History has a habit of side-lining stories that do not fit in with the narrative of the day, and in 20th century England, women’s football was one such story.
 
At the start of the first World War in 1914, men of fighting age were called up for military service, and within a year the men’s football league was suspended. Hundreds of thousands of women also answered the call to help the war effort by filling the now empty jobs that previously were considered unsuitable for them, in particular in the munitions factories.
 
In order to keep fit for this work, informal kick-abouts became a popular past-time, and freed from the cumbersome clothing that used to hinder their movements, their enjoyment of football took off. Factory managements encouraged these games as good for health and morale, so matches between the factories became regular fixtures.
 
The skill and ability of the women quickly drew large crowds and games were used to raise money for war charities and local community funds. The strong friendships forged from working together spilled on to the pitch, helping to bring a positive focal point for their communities living in such distressing times.

After the end of the war in 1918, women’s football as a spectator sport became ever more popular, until in 1920 the boxing Day match between Kerr Ladies FC Preston and St Helen’s Lancashire was watched by 50,000 people at Goodison Park, Liverpool, with thousands more waiting outside.
 

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​There were 150 women’s club at this time playing in front of capacity crowds with gate receipts raising money for charities across the country.
 
The following year, the Football Association decided to ban women’s football from being played on their grounds or officiated by their referees citing the reason that football was injurious to their health and that money raised at the matches was being misused.
 
Finally in 1971 the ban was lifted, but the game struggled to take off until the FA formally took control of the financial management in 1993, and then necessary investment was forthcoming.
 
Now, 100 years on, history has come full-circle and women’s football is once again hugely popular and successful. People who hesitate to attend many of the men’s matches for fear of getting caught up in off-pitch violence, enjoy the family friendly atmosphere at their games. Most schools now have girls football teams which is empowering for them, as they excel in an arena once so closely guarded as a male domain.
 
Although even today there is still some negative dialogue around the women’s game, the effects of the ban are starting to be overturned. Mutual respect between men and women goes a long way to providing a culture of peaceful relationships in our day to day lives, and women’s football is another step towards creating that level playing field for all.

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​Kerr Ladies FC 1922