From Stitching Kits To Wearing Them
In 1921, Women’s football was at an all-time high, building on the following it gained during the First World War.
Women’s football was enjoyed by men, women and children alike, hitting a record of 53,000 attendees in 1920, with thousands more locked outside, desperate to get in.
The FA considered women’s football a ‘threat’ to the men’s game and legally banned all women from training or playing at any ground.
The ban was lifted in 1971; however, five decades of damage had been done by then. The re-introduction of women's playing came with backlash, stigma, and hate that still influence the way we discuss women’s games today.
Angered by individual stories of humiliation, degradation and mockery, like those of geordie Carol Wilson, who captained England in the first unofficial Women’s World Cup, and inspired by the England Lionesses winning the 2022 European Championship, this book aims to emotionally educate, celebrate and pay homage to the women who have paved the way.
Starting with my sister, who thrives in one of the many female football clubs in the North-East, ending with my mam, who, despite being a better footballer than her brothers, was ridiculed and starved of any opportunities, this book passionately shares the stories of multi-generational strangers, family, friends and icons.
‘From Stitching Kits to Wearing Them’ travels decade by decade through the ban and then out of it. Created in 2024, only six years after women could be professional footballers for the first time.