‘Girls today can dream’: Preston football historian Gail Newsham on the ‘phenomenal’ Dick, Kerr Ladies and the Lionesses’ Euros triumph
“There’s a picture of me from when I’m about five in the backyard and I’ve got my teddy bear, my football, and my bike, which pretty much summed me up,” says Gail, who grew up on a diet of frenzied street games with scores of local lads, all scraped knees and jumpers for goalposts. “I always loved football; it was all I ever wanted to do.”
“Being part of that Rangers team was amazing - we were so close,” she adds. “It’s just great being part of something and we did everything together: we trained twice a week, played Sundays, and socialised as well. It was a magical time - it’s great to see what’s happening with women’s football now, but I wouldn’t change anything.
“I went all over the North West, looking through the phone book and making hundreds of calls,” says Gail, whose research led her to publish a book titled ‘In A League Of Their Own: The Dick, Kerr Ladies 1917-1965’ in 1994. “Looking back, I don’t know how I did it, but it was amazing. I’m no academic, it was just meant to be.
Then everything changed. On December 5th 1921, the FA banned women’s football and instructed all member clubs to refuse permission of their grounds for ladies matches. It was a bitter blow for the women’s game and many teams collapsed, but the Dick, Kerr Ladies soldiered on, playing across the world in the ‘20s and ‘30s.
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