A Woman's Game: The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Women's Football

by Suzanne Wrack

***WINNER OF A SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARD***

A TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

'A truly important book.' MEGAN RAPINOE
'Hardhitting and clear sighted.' THE TIMES
'Impassioned . . . joyous.' SPECTATOR

DISCOVER THE STORY OF THE WOMEN WHO PAVED THE WAY FOR THE LIONESSES

This is the astonishing history of women's from the game's first appearance in England in the late nineteenth century to the incredible teams that at their height drew 53,000 spectators to Goodison Park, through to its fifty-year ban in the UK and the aftershocks when restrictions were lifted. Following the game's meteoric rise in recent years, Suzanne Wrack considers what the next chapter of this incredible story might - and should - be.

'A thoroughly entertaining and enlightening read.'
CLARE BALDING

'A fantastic book on how the game has developed and what its future could hold.'
PHIL NEVILLE

'A compelling narrative . . . The history of the women's game has been long overlooked. This book celebrates it, and the teams and individuals who helped the sport develop into today's nationally and internationally recognized phenomenon.'
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

'Wrack is something of a trailblazer herself . . . few would be better placed to write its history.'
IRISH TIMES

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Football, History, Soccer, Audiobook, Womens Sports

272 pages, Paperback

Published June 22, 2023

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about the development of the woman's game since the mid 19th century to the euros 2022. Very informative

[Bill Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gaslit me by putting three USWNT players on the cover and then being 90% about England. Without the gaslighting it would probably be 4 stars, some interesting history in here
- Women’s football was getting somewhat popular in England in the early 1900s before getting banned for decades and having to restart in the 1970s
- Interesting to compare WSL approach of women’s teams tied to men’s teams vs. NWSL approach of mostly independent clubs

[Becky Sills · Rating 4 out of 5]

V informative, mad to learn of how many setbacks women in football have had to get where they are today

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this really interesting as a look at women's football, but (probably because I have just finished a history degree) it felt a little too cursory for me. still very fun/important/angering to read about the history of the game and a good light read after exams!

[Chris Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time. To simply describe it as a potted history of woman’s football would be to not do it justice. It is that, and it is a fascinating read exploring the development of the woman’s game over the last 150 years. But where this book excels is that this is not all it does. The author placed that history of the game alongside the social and cultural history of the time, allowing you to see how the place people hold in society affects the opportunities afforded to them, as well as how the development of the men’s game has affected (positively and negatively) the woman’s game. Superb read.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Suzy Wrack from the podcast!!

Really fun read that offered so much context about how the 50 year football ban came about, the unsteady terrain that the game is on now, and why women's football is the most exciting resilient game in the biz 💪⚽️

[Anna Strandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strongly recommend anyone even slightly interested in women’s football to read this one!!

[aaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

i appreciate the existence of this book!! (finally got out of my reading slump)

[Andy Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This topical, informative and essential book is an excellent history of women’s football that needs to be read by anyone with an interest in sport, gender equality and the struggle of women to be recognised on their own merits. Given the increasing popularity and growth of women’s football, Suzanne Wrack’s book deserves to be widely read as an illuminating guide to how the game got to where it is now and what it needs to do to take even greater strides forward in the future. Wrack details the history of the women’s game, from its post-war banning by the FA (only properly lifted in 1970) after wartime boom, to its ever-increasing popularity today. Wrack shows that the history of women’s football is one of struggle, often aligned with wider women’s equality battles. The game is seen to be a progressive cause that has seen many of its stars transcend the sport to become powerful social and political advocates for change. Wrack has done the sport she loves a great service by writing this book. Her enthusiasm and thoughtfulness shines through and, with the Women’s Euro 2022 football championships starting today in England, the book couldn’t be better timed and should be read by all. Go and buy it today!

[Lauren Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insert the Saoirse Ronan gif from Little Women: “WOMEN.” This was really good! A well-written and inspiring historic account of women’s football.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women 😊😊😊😊

[Hayden Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Susi · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 sterne wegen meiner emotionalität, objektiv eher 4. insbesondere über die zeit des verbots und widerstände dagegen von 1920-1970 konnte ich neues lernen.
der fakt, dass frauenfußball von den verbänden bis in die 70er verboten war, war mit ca. 10 jahren eine meiner ersten feministischen themen, es begleitet mich also schon sehr lange.

mehrfach gänsehaut gehabt, weil ich doch zu vielen relaten konnte und mich insbesondere bei der EM 2017 selbst als das 13 jährige mädchen sehe, dass da zum ersten mal geträumt und sich gesehen hat.
die fußballspielerinnen, insb. rapinoe, und ihre kämpfe haben mich sehr geprägt.

auch die autorin hat mich durch ihre persönlichen einblicke bewegt. ihre persönliche verbundenheit zur entwicklung des frauenfußball allgemein fühle ich sehr, wie natürlich auch ihre exklusions erfahrungen als mädchen im fußball.

ansonsten fand ich teile etwas oberflächlich und viel wurde einfach aufgezählt.
teils gab es ich gute kritische bemerkungen, die diskussion über eine gute entwicklung hätte gerne länger sein können.

[Rebekah Grassby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, informative and inspiring history of the women’s game. Particularly enjoyed the breadth and variety of the discourse - this is wide-reaching and as comprehensive as a sub-250 page book can be. Must read for any women’s football fan.

(And I write this as a Chelsea fan…)

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0/5
A highly informative textbook on the history of women's football that focuses mainly on English football. I was already familiar with much of it, which is why I would have liked to have seen more depth in some sections and fewer topics covered instead.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good overview of the sport but there were huge leaps and parallels made to society in general that were a little stretched.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

a little tricky to get into and connect to as it’s spanning the whole history of women’s football, but still an interesting read.

[wadha · Rating 3 out of 5]

thought i’d like it more

[Eno RoJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Challenge 2025: 22. Un libro sobre fútbol

No era lo que esperaba... Admito que nunca había pensando en todo lo que implicaría tener un equipo de deportistas profesionales sin un sistema sólido y consolidado

[Neha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply important and inspiring- a must read for fans of the women’s game. Wrack traces the growth of women’s football through history, highlighting its interconnectedness with the evolution of women’s rights and the feminist movement. This book made me feel so proud of the resilience and strength of women to persist in a sporting world made to exclude and work against them. You see so clearly how gender inequity permeates football and why face-to-face comparisons between men’s and women’s football is both unhelpful and ignorant given the historical disparity in access to and investment in the game.

At the same time, Wrack reveals her own experiences as a women’s football journalist, letting the reader in on her journey to becoming one of the most prominent voices in women’s football. I actually wished she would have shared more about herself. Thank u Suzy!

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great history of the women’s game. Wrack does a great job explaining how the women’s game gained popularity during the wars, threatened the men’s game and was banned (in England), and regained popularity again. Wrack points out the flaws in the way the women’s game is currently viewed and funded and expresses hope for the future.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously I will devour any book about women's football, and this is an excellent one about the barriers that footballers have and do face in the women's game. While it covers the sport across continents, it mainly focuses on England, which is understandable as the author is The Guardian's key women's football journalist. This means that, while it is not completely comprehensive (although there are fantastic books like Caitlin Murray's The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women who Changed Soccer about the USWNT that are perfect companions to help round out the narrative), the author brings expertise that makes this book a fascinating, sometimes infuriating, and ultimately triumphant look at the women's game and its meteoric rise.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number: 60

Re-read: No

Rating: ****

Thoughts: I have fallen head over heels obsessed with football over the last few years, women's football in particular, and so I jump at every opportunity to buy another book about this beautiful game. Having Chloe Kelly's iconic celebration on the cover made this a must-buy. This was a mixed book for me; the first half deals predominantly with the history of women's football which, by now, I have read multiple times over so that was a little slow and repetitive for me but the second half really gripped my interests. Journeying more about the recent Lionesses and the advancement of the women's game across the world. This part had me hooked and I finished it in two days. I have to say, the afterward about the Lionesses European victory did have me tearing up. That was the tournament that got me into football at all and so any mention of that does tug at my heart strings.

Bookshelf: onto the bookshelf forever

[Sam Risdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a sweeping, concise and cohesive narrative of the development of women's football over the last century. Wrack synthesizes the feminist waves with major sporting achievements, arguing their close relationship. Pages are dedicated to highlighting how legislative change in the U.S after 2nd wave feminism laid the legal framework for the growth of the game there. Wrack highlights the obstacles, both social and legal that undermined the sport in the UK. Likewise, FIFA's reluctance to embrace and formally organise the women's game is sufficiently discussed. Mostly, however, this book is about the individuals, collectives and clubs that toiled under rewarded and over scrutinised to grow the game around the world.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a relative newcomer to the games of soccer (longtime baseball fan going back to my childhood) due to moving on retirement to a location offering professional men and women’s soccer teams, I am, of course, trying to become more grounded in the game through reading. There is not much to find on women’s soccer, so I was first thrilled to read about this book coming out & then disappointed not to find it at my local library. But thanks to that wonderful feature of public libraries-the “suggestion for purchase”-I was able to obtain and read it. Definitely fills a need for the historical background of the women’s game, and very readable. A tad Euro/British emphasis is certainly there but the impact of American women’s soccer is not underreported.

[Kate Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written summary of the history of women's football, focusing on the UK, Europe and America. As a child of the 80s who played with boys and in a boys team until I was 12 and the FA regulations dictated I had to stop, this book spoke to me. There wasn't a girls team i could join. What really shocked me in this book, although I should have known, was how recent the key positive changes to women's football have been. Also shocking is how blatant sexism has been allowed to prevent the development of women's football and sport generally. And we are still so far from equality in sport. So much has been achieved but the success is fragile.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cursory history of women's soccer, primarily in England, from the early 1900s to the present (Euro 2022), this book does a good job of challenging the (often assumed) narrative that women's sports were never popular before second wave feminism. Identifying the ways that the exclusively male FA limited and then banned women's soccer in England is important, and the book does a reasonably good job of looking at the ways and reasons that the WSL has found some early success over its first decade.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any football fan and anyone interested in women's sport. So insightful and interesting to read about how it all began, how women had to fight so hard to even be acknowledged in the game and how we still have a long way to go even now. To be honest, I was surprised at the lengths all the organisations went to, to try and stop us from being able to play. Why were they so afraid!!? Anyway. I found this a really helpful history lesson and a very useful read.

[Laurie Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book. It is titled “A Woman’s Game” and pictures three players from the United States on the cover. I was expecting to read a history of the US soccer team, why else have them on the cover? However, the US is hardly mentioned in the book. Yes, it is a very well researched history of the game in Europe and that was of some interest to me, but I was very disappointed that it’s pretty much about the English team. So why not put them on the cover?

[Annie Jarman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of women's soccer being banned because it was too popular is still incredible to me. The history of its survival and rise from the ashes was also fascinating. 4 stars for the first half of the book.
The second half of the book intrigued me less. It was so in the weeds I rather felt like it lost the big picture about the current state of women's soccer and continuing inequalities in the treatment of the sport.
Glad I read it though!