A History Of Women's Football
An introduction and some history
Women may have been playing football for as long as the game has existed. Evidence has actually shown that a similar game (cuju) was played by women during the Han Dynasty (25–220 CE).
The modern game of football or soccer (as it's also known) has documented early involvement of women. In Europe, it is possible that 12th-century French women played football as part of that era's folk games.
An annual competition in Mid-Lothian, Scotland during the 1790s is reported, too. In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardized rules to prohibit violence on the pitch, making it much more socially acceptable for women to play.
Women's football became popular on a large scale at the time of the WW!, when employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for the men's game several decades earlier.
Despite being more popular than some men's football events (one match saw a crowd of over 50,000), women's football in England was halted in 1921 when The Football Association outlawed the playing of the game on Association members' pitches, on the grounds stating that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."
Despite the ban, some women's teams rebelled against the FA and continued to play. The Ladies Football Association was formed and the games were moved to some rugby grounds.
Part 2 Coming Soon.
How did the ban on the women's game end?
How did it become that people now know and love?
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