Women’s football changed from an informal kick-about to a structured game in the late 19th century. 

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In 1894, Nettie Honeyball founded the British Ladies' Football Club and recruited around 30 players. The team was not successful in its early days and the women often found themselves exposed to ridicule. However, following coaching from Tottenham Hotspur's centre-half Bill Julian, their skills began to improve.

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On March 23rd 1895, ten thousand people made their way to Crouch End to watch the club split into two teams - North and South - and play each other. Journalists were not impressed by the style and quality of play but for the next few years, spectators continued to watch as the team 'toured' the country.

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In August 1902, the Football Association (FA) banned women playing against men. However, when the First World War broke out, women played alongside the men working in munitions factories outside working hours.

 

By 1921, there were around 150 women’s teams in England. The most successful team was Dick, Kerr Ladies, named after the factory they worked in. The women played over 800 games between 1917 and disbanding in 1965 and raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

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Perhaps their most notable match was on Boxing Day 1920 at Goodison Park, Everton’s men’s football ground. The women attracted a crowd of 53,000 spectators - a sell-out crowd. This is an attendance figure Everton’s men’s team does not reach. 

 

However, in 1921, seemingly due to the jealousy some men felt towards the women’s game, the FA banned women’s teams from playing at FA affiliated grounds. Many teams were forced to disband because they couldn’t find alternative places to play. On December 6th, the FA made the statement:

 

“Complaints have been made as to football being played by women, the Council feel impelled to express their strong opinion that the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not be encouraged.” 

 

 

The ban remained in place for 50 years. Participation in women's football dwindled until the 1966 men’s World Cup - at the time of the second wave of the feminist movement - when an increase in interest in the sport led to the creation of the Women’s Football Association (WFA).

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The first unofficial Women’s World Cup - 'Coppa del Mundo' - took place in Italy in1971 and the first official England team was created one year later. 

 

In 1993, the FA became the governing body for both the men's and women's games.