A group of women who formed a football team and defied the Football Association (FA) ban on women’s football are being honored with a blue plaque at their former home ground in Didsbury, Manchester. The Manchester Corinthians team was created in 1949 and won a major European trophy in Germany, as well as playing to crowds of over 50,000 people on international tours. The FA had banned women from playing football on affiliated pitches in 1921, and the ban was finally lifted in 1971 after the formation of the Women’s Football Association.
Former player Margaret Whitworth spoke about the team’s early days, saying that they had to keep their football secret from most people. She also revealed that they could not be seen buying football boots and would send away for them or ask somebody else to buy them and claim they were for their brother. Whitworth, who joined the team at the age of 12 in 1958, played until 1974 and recalled playing in South America in front of huge crowds. The team was made up of women who were breaking barriers and doing something not deemed “ladylike.”
Meanwhile, 76-year-old former player Margaret Shepherd reminisces about hiding her footballing pursuits from work colleagues and school friends. The blue plaque represents everyone who played for the Corinthians and other women who played during the ban, she says. Shepherd has been watching the Lionesses, England’s national women’s football team, and felt pride in their recent successes, including winning the Euro 2022 trophy and reaching the World Cup final in 2019.
Historian and writer Gary James endorses the planned blue plaque and murals dedicated to the Manchester Corinthians and describes them as “groundbreaking.” The team demonstrated that women could play football regularly when the FA ban was still in place, and they promoted football as well as female endeavor across the world. The blue plaque ceremony will be attended by more than a dozen former players, including Dorothy Allcock, who is now 92 years old and played for the team when it was first formed in 1949.
The recognition of the achievements of the Manchester Corinthians is significant, as their legacy paved the way for modern women’s football in England. The team’s story is a testament to the spirit of women who challenge social norms and do what they love
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