Dick, Kerr's Ladies F.C.

Dick, Kerr's Ladies F.C. were one of the most famous early (pre-1970's) women's association football teams. The team was founded in Preston, Lancashire, England as a works' team for a company, Dick, Kerr & Co., owned by two Scots: W.B. Dick and John Kerr. The women joined the company in 1914 to help produce ammunition for the First World War.

Dick, Kerr's Ladies in 1921

Beginning

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. After beating the men of the factory in an informal game, the women of Dick, Kerr's formed a team, under the management of office worker Alfred Frankland.

The team drew strong crowds, playing in charity fixtures against similar teams around the country and they raised money for many injured servicemen during and after the war. It also helped promote women's football around the country. The women were paid 10 shillings a game by Dick, Kerr & Co. to cover their expenses.

The team started to play on 25 December 1917 when 10 000 spectators came to watch a game at Deepdale.

1920

The team played the first women's international in 1920, against France. The French team were from Paris and were led by the great patron of Women's sport in France, Alice Milliat (1884-1957). There were a total of 4 games played in the UK, the first at Deepdale, where the Dick, Kerr's Ladies won 2-0, the second match at Stockport was won by the Dick, Kerr's Laides 5-2; the third game in Manchester drew 1-1 and the final was won by the French at Stamford Bridge in London with a score of 2-1.

The team captains kiss

After the UK tour by the French, the Dick, Kerr Ladies went on to tour in France where they played in Paris, Roubaix, Havre and finally Rouen, drawing on three and winning the final game.

The French tour generated tremendous publicity for the team and on Boxing Day of 1920 they managed to draw a crowd of 53,000 spectators to watch a match at Goodison Park, Liverpool in a game against St. Helen's Ladies.^[1] The team were featured regularly in the Pathe newsreels of the day and players like Lily Parr and Alice Woods became an appealing draw at British football grounds.

Colours

Their club colours were black and white jerseys and blue shorts and their England colours were white jerseys and blue shorts. The women also wore striped hats to cover their hair.

FA ban

The popularity of the team led The Football Association to ban women's football at its members grounds on 5 December 1921. Ostensibly this was due of concerns that women were not physically able to play football, but there was a belief that the popularity of the team made some in the men's game feel threatened.

USA tour

Despite the ban, the team continued to play on non-FA grounds. In late 1922 the team went on a tour of Canada and the U.S.A. On their arrival in Canada, they were told that they couldn't play, so they crossed the border into the USA.

Once in the USA, they discovered they were due to be playing against men's teams, some of which included immigrants who had previously played in the British football league, plus at least one American who would go on to represent the US at the 1930 World Cup finals. Dick, Kerr's Ladies acquitted themselves well, winning three games, drawing three, and losing three. They proved tough opponents.

"I played against them in 1922," recalled Paterson goalkeeper Peter Renzulli. "We were national champions and we had a hell of a job beating them."^[2]

Later history

The official programme from a game against Huddersfield Atalanta Ladies at Hillsborough on 6 May 1921

During its history the team played 828 games, winning 758, drawing 46, and losing 24.

The teams' name changed to Preston Ladies F.C. in the latter part of the 1920s and carried on playing until 1965.

The FA finally recognised women's football in July 1971, 50 years after they had banned the game.

A Preston North End W.F.C. exists today (and is playing in the Women's Northern Championship), but is unrelated to this team.

Notes

1. ^ "Trail-blazers who pioneered women's football". BBC News. 2005-06-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/women/4603149.stm. Retrieved 2010-02-19. 
2. ^ Hunt, Chris: "The Belles Of The Ball", FourFourTwo magazine, August 2005.

External links

• http://www.dickkerrladies.com First official website dedicated to the Dick,Kerr Ladies.
• The Dick, Kerr Ladies Soccer Tour, 1922 (USA Soccer Archives)
• North West Film Archive Footage of Dick Kerr's ladies football team playing several matches

References

• Jacobs, Barbara (2004), The Dick Kerr's Ladies, Constable and Robinson, ISBN 1841198285
• Newsham, Gail J., In a League of their Own! The Dick, Kerr Ladies 1917–1965, ISBN 1-85727-029-0