The History of Women's Football

by Jean Williams

A complete history of women’s football, from its Victorian games beginning in 1881, to the plans for England to host the Euro Finals in England 2022, this book demonstrates how women’s football began as a professional sport, and has only recently returned to these professional roots in the UK. This is because there was a fifty-year Football Association ‘ban’ on women playing on pitches affiliated to the governing body in England. The other British associations followed suit.

Why was women’s football banned in 1921? Why did it take until 1969 for a Women’s Football Association to form? Why did it take until 1995 for England to qualify for a Women’s World Cup? Answers to these key questions are supplemented across the chapters by personal accounts of the players who defied the ban, at home and abroad, along with the personal costs, and rewards, of being footballing pioneers.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 16, 2024

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a free copy in return for an open and honest review

detailed look at the development and history of the Women's game and found it very interesting with modern players discussing their experiences with FA and the gradual professionalism from part time.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a copy of this arc for free via Netgalley. I'd like to thank the publishers for giving me a copy for review.

Going into reading I had some knowledge of the men's football in the late 19th century due to 1) having a at-the-time-famous footballing ancestor and 2) being obsessed with researching every possible facet I can of not both my ancestors lives and the people surrounding them, but my knowledge of women's football at the time was sorely lacking. In the last couple of years it's been fantastic to see even more eyes on the women's game, to the extent that yesterday saw Arsenal W.F.C vs Chelsea F.C Women compete in the Women's FA Cup final on BBC One yesterday. As as a wee lass I don't remember ever seeing women footballers on television growing up and I'm so glad it's something that's becoming more accessible now for any wee lassies out there to enjoy, root for, and maybe even aspire to.

What fascinated me the most in this book were the similarities between men and women's football with regards to the fostering of community spirit, along with the changing transport infrastructure which let more people enjoy the spectacles of matches and gave players the chances to see new locations.

I was also glad that the book while dealing with 19th century football didn't focus overly on England, although I did feel the book latterly slipped into that. Despite that, I enjoyed reading the experiences of the women during the more 'modern' era, as I hadn't realised just how young a lot of girls were when they made the steps into football. Even then I'm not sure 'enjoyed' is the most appropriate word - the discrimination faced by the likes of Pat Dunn was awful to read!

All in all, this is a book I'm going to go on to purchase a physical copy of for my bookshelf, as I can see myself referencing it a few times in the future, especially when I get chances to geek out about the history of football.

I had some issues with the formatting of my copy on the Kindle, leading to some newspaper clippings being cut off/obscured and what I think may have been a table of data becoming too unreadable to understand, but it was nothing that overall spoiled my enjoyment!

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will 100% admit I’m not a big football fan, but women’s history I love and knowing bits of the history of the sport for women being barred etc I was eager to know more. I thought this was really well presented, I found it so interesting and despite not really liking football it didn’t lose my interest for one moment. Really impressive read, that I highly recommend to everyone

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is a good read for anyone who loved the movie 'A League of Their Own'!!! I was quite unfamiliar with women's football (soccer for us Americans) but wanted to push my nonfiction reading out of my comfort zone. Sport's history is definitely outside it. I loved how the league started as easily as women just wanting to play, some didn't even know how initially. But of course with any history there is a dark side. This book covers the unfair treatment that the women's football league faced. A good book to pick up for any footballers in your life.

[Anita Salát · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched and informative book about the history of women's football, focusing on the UK, with a bit of international outlook. I enjoyed reading the oral histories of the coaches and female football players in particular, the personal stories behind these pioneers, while, despite all the money they raised for charity, the lack of their recognition made me bitterly angry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this Advance Reading Copy.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

NB: free copy received for honest review

Beginning with the early success of games played in the late 19th century, through the doldrums of the post WWI period, to the rising popularity and profile of the modern day game, this is a pretty comprehensive history of women's football in England. Other nations, including Wales and Scotland, feature mostly to the extent to which they interacted with English teams of each period.

I found this an interesting read, though it is frequently quite distressing to read about the treatment of enthusiastic footballing women. The FA made determined efforts to drive women out of the game, and even after accepting that they should promote women's football, they've frequently failed to treat teams fairly, to properly fund the players, or to support women of colour against institutional racism in their own organisation.

Stylistically, the author is a little over-fond of lists, but this is otherwise a readable - if, as I said, frequently distressing - overview of the history of women's football in England. If that's a topic of interest to you, definitely check it out.

[Steve Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly an incredible amount of research has gone into it. Let down in places by clunky grammar (could definitely have benefited from a more hands-on editor), but ultimately rescued by the first-person accounts of some of the sport’s pioneers.

In fairness, it’s tricky to write a cohesive history of a sport with such a fragmented history and relatively few sources to draw on, so maybe I’m being too harsh. By no means a comprehensive history of women’s football, but definitely a decent springboard for further reading.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful and informative book for anyone studying the rise of women's football in the UK. It contains a wide overview of the development of the women's game at a club, regional and national level. Useful for BTEC or A-Level PE/Sports studies students and anyone with an interest in women's football or sports of the period.

[Tayler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating history. Super detailed and once you get into the more recent years, some great first hand accounts of some of the pioneers of modern football. History + women’s football. What’s not to like? 👏

[Maymay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read it to write an essay, was an easy read, pretty informative.

[Ger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hidden history of women's football

I'm a big fan of women's football. I was vaguely aware of the history of women's football. This book filled in the blanks. From the pioneers to the modern day, this book covers those who overcame adversity to play and promote the game they loved. I enjoyed the personal stories of the players. It was a fascinating read. I'd recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in women's football. The women footballers of today are standing on the shoulders of giants, it would be nice if they knew their stories.