- Lily Parr
Infobox Football biography
playername = Lily Parr
fullname = Lilian Parr
dateofbirth = 1905
cityofbirth = St Helens
countryofbirth =England
dateofdeath = 1978
cityofdeath = Preston, England
countryofdeath =
height = 5ft 10"
nickname =
position =Midfielder "(Winger)"
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1919
1920-
-1951
clubs = St Helen's LadiesDick, Kerr's Ladies
Preston Ladies
caps(goals) =
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =Lily Parr(Lillian) was born in 1905 in
St Helens, Merseyside and died in 1978. In 2002 she was the only woman to be made an Inaugural Inductee into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame [ [http://www.prestontoday.net/viewarticle.aspx?sectionid=73&ArticleID=222554 Preston Today - Launch of the National Football Museum] ] at theNational Football Museum for the United Kingdom. She is most well known for playing for TheDick, Kerr's Ladies team, which was founded in 1917 and based inPreston , Lancashire."The Dick Kerr's Ladies" by Barbara Jacobs (Constable and Robinson - Jul 2004) ISBN 1841198285]Career
Although she was sometimes referred to as being 6ft tall, she was actually 5 ft 10 in. Unlike women's teams today, Lily played against both male and female teams and she reputedly had a harder shot than any male player. She had started life playing football with her brothers on waste ground in St Helens, before playing for the St Helen's Ladies team. It was there she spotted and recruited into the
Dick, Kerr's Ladies for a job in theDick, Kerr & Co. factory inPreston and 10 shillings in expenses per game."The Dick Kerr's Ladies" by Barbara Jacobs (Constable and Robinson - Jul 2004) ISBN 1841198285]Lily scored 43 goals for the team in her first season, when she was only 14 years old. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6143032.stm An article on Women's Football History at the BBC] ] She totaled more than 900 goals in her career between 1919 and 1951.
Lily also played in the first ever recognized women's international football tournament between England and France in London in 1920. There were 4 games in total, which included a crowd of 25,000 that saw the
Dick, Kerr's Ladies win 2-0 atDeepdale , home ofPreston North End [http://www.thefa.com/Womens/EnglandSenior/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/05/England_Brief_history.htm A Brief History of Women's Football at the FA website] ] . [ [http://www.sportskerlectables.com/womensfootballhistory.htm Score information from Sports Kerlectables] ]The Dick, Kerr Ladies went on to tour France, playing against local French teams. They also toured Canada and the USA in 1922, [ [http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/kerrladies.html Notes including details of the USA Tour] ] after the 1921 Football Association ban on women playing on any of their member grounds. In the USA they played nine games against men's teams. They won three, drew three and lost three games.
The Dick, Kerr's Ladies Team
In summary, during the First World War in England there was a growing interest in Ladies Football and Dick, Kerr was the name of the Preston Munitions Factory where most of the women on the team worked"(See
Dick, Kerr & Co. )". The Dick Kerr Ladies team regularly drew large crowds which included a famous event on26 December 1920 atGoodison Park that drew more than 53,000 spectators. [http://www.thefa.com/Womens/EnglandSenior/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/05/England_Brief_history.htm A Brief History of Women's Football at the FA website] ]The number of women's teams had continued to grow during this time up until 1921 which was when
the Football Association banned women from playing on their member grounds, ostensibly because of a fear that sport might be damaging to women's health, but more likely because the interest in their performances were embarrassing the football establishment. Support for women's teams declined, but many women such as Lily Parr, continued to play on village greens and other non-associated land. Lily continued with the Dick, Kerr's Ladies even when they lost the support of their factory and were renamed the Preston Ladies."The Dick Kerr's Ladies" by Barbara Jacobs (Constable and Robinson - Jul 2004) ISBN 1841198285]Personal life
Lily was born in a rented house in Union St, Gerrards Bridge, which at the time was the most deprived and poverty striken part of St. Helens. She was the 4th child of 7 to George and Sarah(Sal) Parr. Gerrards Bridge was largely home to the descendants of Irish Catholic labourers. Her father, George, was a laborer at the local Glass factory and her family rented out space in their yard and rooms in their house for extra income.
During her time working for Dick, Kerr & Co she lodged in Preston with one of her team mates, Alice Norris. She was good friends with her team-mate Alice Woods, who was also from St Helens. While playing for the Dick, Kerr's Ladies she was noted for her large appetite and almost constantly smoking Woodbine cigarettes.
After working in the
Dick, Kerr & Co. factory Lily trained as a nurse. She worked in the Whittingham hospital, a mental hospital, until she retired as a Ward Sister. While working at the hospital she continued to play women's football for the Preston Ladies until 1951. This included taking part in further tours of France and Belgium.Lily lived out most of the rest of her life in
Goosnargh , nearPreston , with her partner, Mary. She lived openly as alesbian and is a noted individual in British Gay and Lesbian history. Along with this she is particularly respected as she came from aworking class background. With the help of her partner Mary's organisational skills, she became the first member of her family to own her own home.
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