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Women's Soccer

Women's soccer may seem to be a more recent development in sports history. However, people are commonly surprised to learn that the history of women playing association football has gone on for over a century. In fact, the first recorded women’s match took place in Scotland just as the sport was beginning to be regulated. That happened in 1888.

By the 1890s, women's soccer teams were competing all over Britain. During World War I, as women were needed in factories, they also began playing on factory teams. The most popular of these was the Dick, Kerr Ladies of Dick, Kerr & Co.

This women’s soccer team toured the United Kingdom, France, and even played national champions of the United States. The popularity of their games led the Football Association to ban women’s games on the grounds of the clubs of its members in 1921. The main reason given for this ban was that the sport was physically unsuitable for women. However, many believe that it was actually due to the perceived threat of women’s teams stealing interest away from men’s.

The ban was not lifted until 50 years later, in 1971.

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