For rebel pioneers of women's game, World Cup brings back memories reports sgevans
LYON, France - As the United States and England did battle in their World Cup semi-final, in front of 55,000 fans at Olympique Lyon’s stadium, there was the sensation that this was a breakthrough moment for women’s football.
The first “World Cup” for women, an unsanctioned event, was held in Mexico in 1971, drawing crowds over 90,000 to the Azteca Stadium. “It was lovely to watch it – we really wanted England to do well. Part of me thought, I wish I could have been down there, but we were just in the wrong time,” she told Reuters.
Instead, when they returned to England, several of them were handed bans of three or six months and the man who had organised the team, Harry Batt, was banned for life from the game by the FA and the WFA .“ hadn’t got a team together but he had all the contacts and could make it happen. But on return he was banned. We think it put women’s football back quite a bit. It is only relatively recently that it has really taken off,” she said.
It was only recently that the group were re-united and was then offered a trip to Lyon by UEFA’s “We Play Strong” campaign, allowing them to get a taste of the World Cup and the modern game where women have a proper structure and organisational backing.
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