The Lionesses' awesome scalp-tingling victory over Spain has rightly put the women's game in a national spotlight. If the team can go on to win the Euros the impact on grassroots football will be immense.
The names of the players will be embossed in memories for decades, and girls on pitches across the country will be aiming to emulate the surging power of Georgia Stanway; the battle-ready strength and grit of Millie Bright, and goal-scoring prowess of Alessia Russo.
Even if they don't win the UEFA Women's Championship, the Lionesses have rekindled the rise of women's football. But their success can be traced back to a team of pioneers from Manchester. And maybe this year, more than any other, it is time to recognise them with a permanent tribute.
The Women who Beat the Ban
The Manchester Corinthians Ladies Football Club was formed in 1949. The FA had banned women's football from the grounds of Association- affiliated clubs in 1921 due to its perception that football was "unsuitable" for women.
They used charity games both at home and overseas tours to defy the ban. As Jean Williams, a professor in sport history observed: "Corinthians was to be one of the most important women’s clubs after 1945 to pioneer women’s football as socially acceptable, and by the late 1950s, internationally, as a celebration of Mancunian civic pride."
The club was created by Percy Ashley, so that his daughter, Doris, had a team to play in. Percy was a scout for Bolton Wanderers and a referee. His daughter, who was profoundly deaf, was a talented player but there was no local team in Manchester .
So it would seem that building a team around her, and all players remembered her as an outstanding footballer, was a way of supporting her sporting interest, and also helping her to socialise," Prof Williams said. But Manchester Corinthians were not like the upper class amateurs from whom they took their name.
"Their home ground on Fog Lane Park, Didsbury and facilities were sparse, and players had to be both very determined to play football and resilient: several reminisced washing post-match in duck ponds as there was no running water in the changing rooms, which were also unheated," Prof Williams adds.
But those spartan conditions may mean the team are never forgotten. A campaign has been launched to place a plaque in Fog Lane Park to mark their contribution to women's football, 73 years after they were formed.
A meeting took place earlier this year at the park, attended by officers from Manchester City Council, Friends of Fog Lane, and author, and football historian Dr Gary James. Crucially, Corinthians players Janice Lyons, Margaret Shepherd and Margaret Whitworth were there.
Gary, who three years ago called for the team to be remembered, in an article in the Manchester Evening News, later posted in his football archive page: "The meeting went exceptionally well and we discussed the plans for the erection of a plaque and further recognition to highlight the Corinthians history and significance.
"It was extremely positive and the support and enthusiasm from Manchester City Council and the Friends of Fog Lane was great to see. It is clear we will need to raise some funds to achieve all we want to achieve.
"Everyone agreed that the Manchester Corinthians’ history needs celebrating at Fog Lane Park. Why Fog Lane? This was the site of their training ground and home for many, many years with their old pitch located close to the former home of Percy Ashley, the founder, which is still clearly visible today from the park."
Many of the Corinthians are now in their seventies and eighties but they still get together. In 1957 Bert Trautmann, the Manchester City goalkeeper, joined them on a tour of Germany.
An estimated 50,000 watched them play at Benfica in Portugal in 1959 and in 1960 they toured South America. Due to their popularity, a six week tour became a three month stay. Player, Margaret ‘Whitty’ Whitworth recalled: “We stayed in all the best hotels and it was quite glamourous. There were lots of scrapes along the way. We were young women and loved every minute of it. We didn’t care about the FA ban, we just got on and played.”
She had joined the club as an eleven year old in 1958 and was fourteen when she travelled to South America. Her parents had to give permission but some of the women quit their jobs for the chance of representing Manchester – and England – on the tour.
Whitty said: “What a great experience for us all! The stadiums… the reception from the crowd… it was all incredible but we all just took it in our stride. It’s only afterwards that you look back and realise how significant it all was.”
Other overseas tours included The Netherlands and Italy in 1961, playing on the grounds of Juventus, Milan and other major clubs; Ireland in 1962, Morocco in 1966, and Reims France in 1970, beating Juventus in a final. In total the club won more than fifty trophies.
A second team was set up by Percy Ashley called the Nomads – the name deliberately chosen as it had been used by prominent amateur male football clubs that had toured promoting the game - precisely what he hoped to achieve with his women’s teams. The Nomads and Corinthians would play each other, raising money for charity.
Gary recalled: "Corinthians were still playing in 1982 but, due to ground changes and other issues, (the team) changed its name to Woodley Ladies.
Some of the 1980s team members became players with Manchester City’s women’s team in its inaugural season of 1988-89. By that time the volume of women’s clubs, leagues and competitions had grown.
"The club was resurrected for a period in the late 1980s, playing in Tameside, but it was during the period between 1949 and 1975 that Corinthians were true pioneers. They promoted the sport globally at a time when many refused to accept that women could play football."
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council, said: "We're pleased to be supporting the installation of a plaque for the Manchester Corinthians L.F.C, a brilliant Women's football team who trained in Fog Lane Park in Didsbury.
"Founded in 1949, the Manchester Corinthians L.F.C lead the way for other women's teams in the country. Honouring them with a plaque is an excellent way for the city and visitors of the park to celebrate their legacy."
England's hosting of the Euros has seen games being staged at Old Trafford, Manchester City’s Academy Stadium, and Leigh Sports Village. Mandy Lamb, Managing Director UK and Ireland for the tournaments sponsors, Visa, said: "With records continuing to be broken, sold-out stadiums and excitement levels building like never before, it's clear UEFA Women's Euro 2022 marks an incredible milestone for the women's game.
"As a proud sponsor, it's been a particular highlight to see the tournament inspire and delight so many of us across the country, demonstrating the impact sport can have both on and off the pitch.
"That's why Visa is using the tournament as a platform to celebrate excellence within the game to encourage open conversations about improving access and inclusion in the wider community."
The Trafford Connection
On the other side of south Manchester from Fog Lane Park - Trafford - the women's game has an illustrious history. To mark the Euros Trafford Council has created a 24-page booklet which covers the history of women's football in the borough. One of the earliest games in the district was in December 1895 when British Ladies North and South teams played each other at West Manchester Football ground in Stretford.
It was a culture shock for some journalists. In April 1895, in an issue of the Manchester Courier, one had an opinion which now jars, it is so archaic. He wrote: "It is silly to think of women playing football and cricket as to imagine a man comfortably darning stockings by the fireside."
The influx of women into factories in Trafford Park during the First World War saw them playing the game with men during lunch breaks, and eventually form teams.
The most famous was from British Westinghouse Electrical Company, which after 1919 became known as Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Company. Many of the games were for charity, but also to boost war-time morale.
The most famous women's team of the era was the Dick Kerr Ladies FC from Preston. In January 1921 the team played against Bath Ladies at Old Trafford.
It was reported that the match was watched by 30,000 spectators and it was seen as a landmark game in the sport's development. At the time the average Manchester United home gate was 27,000.
The 1940s saw key teams emerge with the Wythenshawe-based Manchester Ladies (established 1947) and Manchester Corinthians two days later. During the 1950s and 1960s many charity games were played in Trafford, including a match between the Dick Kerr Ladies and City of Manchester Ladies in Altrincham. Games featuring the Corinthians also occurred at White City and in Timperley.
The growth of women’s football in the 1960s saw a significant increase in the number of teams formed. It was not uncommon to see mention of women’s teams or games in Trafford in the local press. Many were linked to pubs, like the Sale Hotel.
Established in 1972 by Margaret and Harold Bailey (the pub’s landlords), the team was coached by pub patron and Manchester City goalkeeper, Joe Corrigan. Their opponents included Wakefield Pride, the Sale Policewomen, and a Manchester United female staff team.
In 1974, an article about the women footballers of Kellogg’s Ladies ‘Corncrackers’ team quoted Captain and Stretford resident Bridie Fogerty: "We practice once or twice a week and when we do play for the normal time of 90 minutes. We also go training at Stretford Sports Centre once a fortnight."
A team of real note emerged in the 1980s - FC Redstar. They initially played in Miles Platting, but soon moved to the Kendal Sports Centre in Stretford. In her oral history interview with Trafford Local Studies, former player, Jane Morley reminisced: "The facilities there were great but we had to play our games at 11am on a Sunday because the pitch was already booked for men's football.
"It was a great place to be based though and the fact we were doing it for ourselves was important. We’d set up our own team and we were playing in the North West Women’s League against some of the best teams in the country.
"We won promotion and faced teams like Leasowe Pacific – a really significant club based on Merseyside at the time. In 1987 Redstar were promoted to the top division in the North West Women's League.
Since the late 1990s, Trafford women’s football has steadily grown. From 2000–01, Trafford were in the Premier Division of the North West Women’s Regional Football League (equivalent to the fourth tier), while Flixton based Manchester City were a tier higher: playing in the Northern Combination League. During those years Urmston were also in the Second Division South, of the North West Women’s Regional Football League (sixth tier).
Meanwhile, a number of other clubs have developed across the borough, such as Urmston Meadowside — who, in 2017, won the Greater Manchester Women’s Football League and cup double — Stretford Victoria, the Mersey Valley Ladies, as well as those in Altrincham, Sale, and Flixton.
There have also been clubs who have made Trafford their home for periods of time: as previously mentioned, Manchester City played home games at Flixton FC in the 2000s, while in more recent years, the Salford City Lionesses have been based at Partington Sports Village.
In 2012, the Olympics semi final match between Canada and the United States was staged at Old Trafford and, in 2018, a new Manchester United women’s team was established. This team went on to win the Championship in 2019 and they’ve been a strong challenger in The FA Women’s Super League ever since.
Although their regular home ground is at Leigh Sports Village, in March 2022 over 20,000 spectators watched United defeat Everton, 3–1, at Old Trafford in the Women's Super League.
Meanwhile Manchester City Women's Football Club, which began in 1988 and played their first game in a friendly against Oldham, have gone on to become a top team in the Women's Super League - winning the title in 2016 and being runners up five times. They have also won the Women's FA Cup three times and the League Cup four times.
Commenting on the booklet, Councillor Jo Harding, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Strategic Partnerships, said: “Looking back is always a great way to see where we need to go in the future. This booklet is a fascinating read and shows how far women’s football has come. There’s still a long way to go but the Women’s Euros can provide a real impetus to boost women’s sport even further.”
To view the booklet, visit the Local Studies collection at Sale Waterside. You can also go online to search the Local Studies archive at https://exploringtraffordsheritage.omeka.net/
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