When Football Banned Women
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 1 August 2022
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
England’s historic Euro 2022 victory on Sunday night was the most watched TV programme of the year. It feels like it's the first time women's football is getting the attention it deserves. Well, a century ago, it was women who dominated the pitch, commanding crowds bigger than the men's games. But that changed on the 5th of December 1921 when the FA placed a complete ban on women playing professional football. That ban lasted 50 years.
In this episode from our archive, celebrated broadcaster Clare Balding joins Dan to tell the story of the factory girls who took on the world, why they were banned and the legacy of that ban over 100 years on.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode is sponsored by Audible, where you can now stream the new series of that brilliant Stephen Fry's |
| 0:06.7 | Secrets of podcast. It peaks behind the curtain of the 1920s this time. The life and times of the flappers, |
| 0:14.1 | police women, radio, the movies, jazz, the British sense of humour, |
| 0:20.3 | censorship and the secrets and lies, the financial crash. This is another installment of Stephen Fry that listeners love. |
| 0:27.7 | There are some brilliant stories in here, all told in a very Stephen Fry type away. You're going to love it. Listen now. |
| 0:33.5 | Subscription required see audible.co.uk for terms. |
| 0:38.6 | Hi everybody, welcome to Dance Notes history. It's on the 31st of July, |
| 0:41.9 | 2022, the England Women's Football Team won Euro 22. They are champions of Europe. It is a |
| 0:50.1 | mass result. It was a game attended by a record crowd, more people than ever watched any other European final men or women. |
| 1:00.0 | People on the night were keen to say this is a new dawn, the start of a Golden Age for women's football. |
| 1:06.4 | But in fact, there's already been a Golden Age in women's football. In this podcast, which I have |
| 1:12.1 | delved into the archive to draw out. I recorded years ago with Claire Boulding, a national treasure, BBC Broadcaster, |
| 1:18.4 | specialising in sport. She told me about the time when men banned women's football because it was too popular. |
| 1:26.4 | During and after the First World War, women's football enjoyed enormous prominence within the UK. |
| 1:33.2 | So much so that it was seen as a threat. And it was banned. This is an extraordinary story. |
| 1:39.9 | So as always, as we're watching the world around us, the events unfolding, things happening. |
| 1:44.4 | So it's good to have a dash of history to remind you what's gone before and how we got here. |
| 1:49.0 | Here's Claire Boulding. Enjoy. |
| 1:56.5 | Claire Boulding, thanks so much for coming on the podcast. |
| 1:58.9 | You're very welcome. Thanks for having me. |
| 2:00.5 | Now, this is a fascinating story. Just briefly, at the outbreak of war in 1914, was there a male |
| 2:07.1 | professional football soccer league here in the UK? |
... |
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