'Rules are there to be broken': The women's team who defied football ban

"We didn't bother about the rules. You know what they say about rules, they're there to be broken, and we did. During World War One, women's football had enjoyed a surge in popularity with some matches drawing in crowds of more than 50,000 fans. At the time, any man fit enough to play football had been sent to fight on the front line. Back home, women not only took on their jobs but also their places on the pitch."

"On 5 December 1921, the FA claimed football was "quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged". It called on clubs belonging to the association "to refuse the use of their grounds for such matches". We had paper cuttings saying that we weren't built to play football, that we should think about knitting and sewing and feminine things like that."

"The ban changed the course of the women's game forever. It meant the women's game was side-lined to being played in public parks for 50 years until the ban was overturned in 1971. The Corinthians was set up by Percy Ashley, who was a scout for Bolton Wanderers and a well-known referee in the local area."

During World War One, women's football surged in popularity with matches attracting over 50,000 spectators as women filled roles left by men fighting on the front lines. However, on December 5, 1921, the FA declared football "quite unsuitable for females" and banned women from playing on FA-affiliated grounds. This prohibition lasted 50 years, forcing women's football underground into public parks. Despite the ban, determined women like Myra Lypnyckyj and Anne Grimes joined The Corinthians, a team founded by Percy Ashley in Manchester in 1949. These players deliberately broke the rules, refusing to be deterred by societal expectations that women should focus on traditionally feminine activities. The ban was finally overturned in 1971.

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