Dick, Kerr Ladies Football Club was one of the earliest known women's association football teams in England. The team remained in existence for over 48 years, from 1917 to 1965, playing 755 games, winning 682, drawing 39, and losing 34.
During its early years, matches played for charity attracted anywhere from 4,000 to over 50,000 spectators per game. In 1920, Dick, Kerr Ladies defeated a French side 2–0 in front of 25,000 people, a match that went down in history as the first international women's association football game. The team faced strong opposition by The Football Association (FA), who banned the women from using fields and stadiums controlled by FA-affiliated clubs for 50 years (the rule was repealed in 1971).
History
Origins
Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. was founded in Preston, Lancashire, England as a World War I-era works team for the company Dick, Kerr & Co. They played in charity fixtures against similar teams around the country and raised money for injured servicemen during and after the war.
The women on the team had joined the company in 1914 to produce ammunition for the war. Although women had initially been discouraged from playing football, it was believed that such organised sporting activity would be good for morale in wartime factories and would aid production, so competitive sport was encouraged.
During a period of low production at the factory in October 1917, women workers joined the apprentices in the factory yard for informal football matches during their tea and lunch breaks. After beating the men of the factory in an informal game, the women of Dick, Kerr formed a team, under the management of office worker, Alfred Frankland.
The Daily Post wrote, "Dick, Kerr were not long in showing that they suffered less than their opponents from stage fright, and they had a better all-round understanding of the game. Their forward work, indeed, was often surprisingly good, one or two of the ladies showing quite admirable ball control." Players were paid 10 shillings a game by Dick, Kerr & Co. to cover their expenses. and led by the great patron of women's sport in France, Alice Milliat.
Dick, Kerr played a total of four games in the UK the same year. The first match was played at Deepdale, where the squad won 2–0. The second match at Stockport was won by the Dick, Kerr Ladies 5–2, followed by the third game in Manchester which drew 1–1. The final was won by the French at Stamford Bridge in London with a score of 2–1.
The Dick, Kerr Ladies went on to tour in France where they played in Paris, Roubaix, Le Havre and finally Rouen, drawing the first three and winning the final game.
The French tour generated tremendous publicity. Boxing Day of 1920 their match against St Helens Ladies at Goodison Park, Liverpool put on to raise money for the Unemployed Ex Servicemens Distress Fund drew a crowd of 53,000 spectators, a world record for women's club matches that lasted for over 98 years. The team were featured regularly in the Pathé newsreels of the day and players like Lily Parr and Alice Woods became an appealing draw at British football grounds.
Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. played against Huddersfield Atalanta Ladies F.C. at Hillsborough, Sheffield, on 6 May 1921; a programme for the match survives.
FA ban (1921)
The Football Association banned women's football at its members grounds on 5 December 1921. The FA claimed that football was unsuitable for females and that charitable donations were being misappropriated.
The resolution passed by the FA's Consultative Committee read: