The story of women’s football has always had the theme of ‘them against the world’. So, it’s fitting that unrequited love began with the kiss of World War.
It’s 2014. You step out of the tube station, into the buzz and activity present in and around London even on the quietest of days. But today’s different. Today, as you weave through the crowds towards your destination, you feel that Olympic Way is an appropriate name for the path you’re walking on, especially when you catch the first glimpse of the iconic stadium. The grey November skies fade into the background; how can they not when 55,000 have made their way there despite the chilly winds? Wembley’s witnessed two record-breaking crowds during the London Olympics just two years ago – 70,584 (England-Brazil, women’s quarterfinals) and 83,000 (USA-Japan, women’s final). But those were matches for medals and glory that transcend time; this is an international friendly between England and Germany. So why should you care? Why should you stop for just a moment before you leave the crowds behind and continue on your way? Well, for starters, the last time an English women’s team drew a crowd anywhere close to that was 1920.
Now imagine Boxing Day, 1920. It’s been just over two years since the Armistice. Life’s limping back to normal throughout Europe and America. In the north-western corner of England, right by the River Mersey in Liverpool, the atmosphere is more of exuberance than austerity. Goodison Park, the home of Everton Football Club, is creaking at the seams under the combined weight of 53,000 fans. All the records from that day will show that around 14,000 more were turned away. For us now, in the 21st century, it might be incredulous to imagine that the occasion was a women’s football game – Dick, Kerr Ladies of Preston versus the St. Helens Ladies, from the neighbouring area of St. Helens. How could anyone have known then that women’s football wouldn’t see such heights of frenzy again for close to a century? No amount of foresight could have predicted it, prevented it, which is why it must have been all the more devastating when the blow fell. But I’m getting ahead of myself.