December 26 – Record Crowd for the Girls

WOMEN’S football became a victim of it’s own success today in 1920, when over 50,000 turned up at Goodison Park to watch Dick, Kerr Ladies take on a team from St Helens, in what would prove to be the sport’s death knell for the next 50 years.

During the war women’s football had grown in popularity as the nation’s menfolk slugged it out in the trenches in Europe. With the Football League on hold the FA tolerated the game, but began to panic when it’s popularity appeared to be rivalling the men’s game when it got back up and running in 1919.

Dick, Kerr Ladies were the leading lights of the women’s game, led by the first female football superstar, 14-year-old Lily Parr. The club had been formed from a Preston-based munitions factory, when Grace Sibbery, one of the women at the factory, suggested that the females of the company could do better than the men.

A clerk at the factory, Alfred Frankland, agreed and helped form the side. Their first match was a 4-0 win against a team from Arundel Coulthard Foundary on Christmas Day 1917 and drew a crowd of 10,000, raising £200 for a local hospital. The level of skill on show raised many an eyebrow and the team went from strength-to-strength.

The Boxing Day 1920 clash against St Helens Ladies saw 53,000 turn up, with more than 14,000 locked out. Over £3,000 was raised during this charity match for “disabled and unemployed soldiers and sailors”. Dick, Kerr Ladies ran out 4-0 winners and sent the misogynists of the FA into panic.

The FA soon banned women’s football after throwing up some stories about medical danger for the poor dames and some guff about financial mishaps. A Guardian article at the time was equally condescending, claiming that sports such as cricket, lacrosse and hockey were “good enough” for the ladies, as “With these to go at, the most virile young woman might leave Association alone without any great feeling of deprivation.” And that was the view of the leftys!

Amazingly enough, the FA’s ban stood until 1971, as women players had to fight for their rights for more then 50 years. They would get there eventually though and you can see some footage of the planet’s best female footballer below and also check out what other Boxing Day action went on today here. Now get back to sitting on the sofa eating left-overs.