Dick, Kerr LadiesT.M.

Women’s Football has an incredibly rich history, a history that is at last being appreciated by so many. The Dick, Kerr Ladies have often been at the forefront, being high on the list of interest and are now recognised as probably the most important team in the history of women’s football. The last few years has seen a growth in its research, and as the thirst for knowledge of the game continues to grow, it appears that women’s football history is one of the hottest topics in town. Interestingly, women have been playing football in the UK in one form or other for hundreds of years, but not until the late 1800s was it given any major publicity. Perhaps one of the most famous documented games was that of the British Ladies Football Club who played their first match at Crouch End Athletic Ground, London in 1895. The team had success and toured the country playing football but went into decline after about a year and gradually fizzled out.

It wasn’t until during the First World War that women began taking to the football field once more as the game began to flourish again. Women working in munitions factories across the nation quickly realised that playing football was a great way to raise money for charity. Teams sprang up in every corner of the British Isles, and the women took the game very seriously. There are many teams worthy of note during this period, but none were quite as successful as the Dick, Kerr Ladies from Preston. One of the things that makes them stand out above all others, was their determination to play on after the FA ban, a determination that continued beyond another World War right through to 1965.

It was due to their tenacity and never say die spirit that many women from other teams still had an opportunity to continue to play football after their own team had folded. The Dick, Kerr Ladies light shone bright and many players, lost in the aftermath of the FA ban, took the opportunity to continue their love of football with them.