The boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hounslow are joining forces to celebrate the origins and development of women’s football in our capital city.
It’s a multi-faceted story with an ultimately happy ending: The world’s most famous stadium, Wembley in Brent, will host this year’s UEFA Women’s EURO Final to a sell-out crowd.
Right opposite the stadium’s main entrance, Brent Civic Centre is staging:
• ‘Women of the Match’, an exhibition featuring photographic portraits of leading women in the game, as well as personal memorabilia. The exhibition runs until 6th November and invites visitors to donate their own women’s football memorabilia.
And that’s not all – check out the Brent Council website for a series of other activities across the borough as the women’s game comes home to Wembley. These include sound installations in historic seats from the original Wembley Stadium; take a seat between 6th-30th July, absorb the iconic view of the stadium and listen to local women football stars speak about their experiences in the sport.
Meanwhile, covering Ealing and Hounslow:
• Gunnersbury Park Museum is hosting ‘Offside: Women’s Football in West London & Beyond’. Running until 9th October, it reveals the history and evolution of the women’s game throughout the capital, with a focus on stories from Hounslow and Ealing.
The exhibition tells the stories of the pioneering women in West London who would not be denied the right to play our national sport. Women such as the Black and Asian players of the 1990s, West London’s first football club for Afghan and Muslim girls (Abresham FC) and the first openly lesbian team.
This push for change all fed into the west London origins of Bend it Like Beckham, a film that played a big part in popularising the modern women’s game. You’ll also learn about the fascinating story of Brentford Women’s FC, which starts in 1990 and continues today.
This year also marks the 50th birthday of The Greater London Women’s Football League. The founding member clubs were mainly based in west London and Middlesex and played in the Hounslow and District League. Among the clubs to have figured in the original league was the London Transport women’s team, who disbanded in 1975, with some players then forming the District Line Ladies, who later become Wembley Ladies FC and played at Vale Farm – a short distance from Wembley Stadium.
To hear and see some of the women who feature in the history of women’s football in and around London, please click below:
Free Outdoor ExhibitionsLondon | Gunnersbury Park - 2 locations | W3 8LQ
London | White Horse Square, Wembley Park | HA9 6QU
Exhibitions
Offside: Women’s Football in West London & Beyond
Gunnersbury Park Museum
5 July – 9 October 2022
Discover the history and evolution of the women’s game throughout the capital with a focus on stories from Hounslow and Ealing.
Celebrate the diversity and inclusivity seen across local and national teams – from the ground-breaking Black and Asian players of the 1990s, West London’s first football club for Afghan and Muslim girls, Abresham FC, to the first out lesbian team. Explore the significance of Brentford Football Club’s Griffin Park in women’s football history and the West London origins of ‘Bend It Like Beckham’.
The exhibition will be supported by never-before-seen photographs and material from club and personal archives. It will feature kits from England legend Kerry Davis, Abresham FC, and Martine Rose’s ‘Lost Lionesses’ shirt as well as interviews with women’s football pioneers including Patricia Gregory and Brentford Football Club’s Rebekah Wiltshire.
More information: www.visitgunnersbury.org
Women of the Match: Portraits of Brent’s Female Football Stars
Brent Civic Centre
18 June – 6 November 2022
Women of the Match celebrates the achievements of women involved in football in the London Borough of Brent. The exhibition features photographic portraits of stars both on and off the pitch and showcases memorabilia. Including portraits of former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur star, Eartha Pond, and Assistant Head of Coaching at QPR, Manisha Tailor. The exhibition shows Brent’s diversity, and highlights the growth and development of football in the female community in the borough. You can get more involved by donating their Brent women’s football memorabilia - look out for events at libraries across the borough!
Catch football fever and be inspired by the women of Brent influencing the beautiful game!
One two, one two: Inspirational Stories from Brent’s Women of Football
Olympic Way, Wembley Park
And Bobby Moore Bridge, Wembley Park
6-30 July
Take a walk through Bobby Moore Bridge or sit on historic seats from Wembley Stadium and listen to local football stars speak about their experiences in the sport. Taking a seat on Olympic Way, you can absorb the iconic view of Wembley Stadium, home of English football. You can also share your stories on social media using the #Wembleyseats
More information: www.brent.gov.uk/libraries-arts-and-heritage/brent-museum-and-archives
