Women's football

A brief history...

1895:    The first women's football match. North beat South 7-1.

1920:    The first women’s international game. Preston-based Dick Kerr’s Ladies beat a French XI 2-0.  Attendance: 25,000.

1920:    The biggest crowd to date for a women’s game. On Boxing Day, 53,000 watch Dick Kerr's Ladies beat St Helen's Ladies 4-0.

1921:    The FA bans women from playing on Football League grounds. “…the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."

1969:    The Women's Football Association (WFA) is formed with 44 member clubs.

1971:    The FA Council lifts the ban which forbade women playing on the grounds of affiliated clubs.

1971:    In the first WFA Cup Final, Southampton beat Stewarton and Thistle 4-1.

1972:    The first official women's international in Britain is played at Greenock. England beat Scotland 3-2.

1983:    The FA invites The WFA to affiliate on the same basis as County Football Associations.

1991:    The WFA launches a national league, which kicks-off with 24 clubs.

1993:    The FA establishes a Women's Football Committee and the post of Women's Football Co-ordinator.

1993:    The WFA National Cup competition is brought under the control of The FA and becomes The Women’s FA Challenge Cup. 137 teams enter.

1994:    The FA takes on the administration of the Women's National League and League Cup competition. The league becomes The FA Women's Premier League (FAWPL).

1997:    The FA outlines its plans to develop the women's game from grassroots to elite level.

1998:    The first 20 Centres of Excellence for girls are established. Sponsors are gained to both the League and Cup competitions.

1998:    Hope Powell is appointed as the first full-time coach for the England women's international sides.

1999:    The USA hosts the FIFA Women's World Cup which sees sell out stadia and over 90,000 at the Final.

2002:    The FA announces that football has become the top participation sport for girls and women in the England – three years ahead of schedule.

2005:    The 2005 UEFA Women's Championship is played in England. The opening match attracts an unprecedented 29,092 spectators, with a further 2.9m people watching live on BBC Two, while the tournament overall entertains 115,816 fans in 15 matches. England go out in the group stages.

2006:    After a 12-year gap, England qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be played in China.

2007:    Arsenal become the first British side to win Europe’s top club prize, the UEFA Women’s Cup. 
              
England U19s secure their place at the U20s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Chile.

England senior team travel to China for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and reach the quarter finals, losing to the USA.

2008:    Everton cause a huge surprise as they beat Arsenal 1-0 in The FA Premier League Cup Final, the Gunners’ first defeat in more than 50 games. However, Arsenal go on to secure their fifth straight Premier League and complete the double, winning The FA Women’s Cup, in front of a record 24,582 crowd at Nottingham Forest FC. 

England U17s compete in the first U17s FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in New Zealand. They reach the semi finals, losing out narrowly to North Korea.

England U20s compete in the U20s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Chile and reach the quarter finals, losing out to the USA.

England’s Senior Team secures qualification to the UEFA 2009 Finals, to be played in Finland in 2009.

2009:    Arsenal achieve triple success, winning The FA Women’s Premier League Cup Final 5-0 against Doncaster Rovers Belles, The FA Women’s Cup, edging Sunderland 2-1 before a crowd of 23,291 at Pride Park and their sixth successive Premier League crown.

England senior team win the Cyprus Women’s Cup, beating Canada in the final to win their first international trophy.

The England senior team reach the UEFA Championship Final for the first time in 25 years, losing out to Germany in Finland, while the U19s won their UEFA Championship in Belarus.

2010:    Arsenal were Premier League champions again but Leeds Carnegie won the Premier League Cup and Everton The FA Women’s Cup.

England’s U19s under Mo Marley reached the UEFA Championship Final once again, this time losing narrowly to France in Macedonia.

It was announced that the new ‘Women’s Super League’ would start in the following spring.

2011:    The FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL), an innovative eight-team summer competition, was launched in April. Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 in the inaugural match at Tooting and went on to lift the title. They also won the WSL Cup, the ‘Continental Cup’, to add to their FA Women’s Cup success.

The England Women’s team reached the quarter final stage of the FIFA World Cup in Germany before going out to France on penalties.