The Athens Women's Football Summit was honored to be a SPONSOR of a very special evening organized by DKL historian and author GAIL NEWSHAM and her colleagues which marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Ms. Newsham's seminal book IN A LEAGUE OF THIER OWN! The Dick, Kerr Ladies 1917-1965

 

These pioneering Lancashire Lassies were female munition workers from Preston who set the football world on alight during WWI and in the years that followed ... filling stadiums, raising millions for charity and breaking stereotypes while playing wonderful football. Their success and popularity was too much for some powerful men, however, and in December 1921 women's football infamously was banned by The Football Association, a dastardly move which would be emulated by two-thirds of football federations around the world and in England would last for fifty years. This did not stop girl and women footballers from persevering, but the profound effects of this oppression are still felt today even as the sport is taking the world by storm and growing explosively at every level. 

 

Hosted in the Greats' Room at storied Preston North End, this magnificent gathering brought together female footballers of different generations - including many in their sixties, seventies and even eighties -  as well as different stakeholders from across the sport, including historians, clubs and The Football Association who were the event's Gold Sponsor. It was an amazing night, with the legendary John 'Gilly' Gillmore as the Master of Ceremonies, and the incomparable Sheila Ferguson singing her chart-topping hits (what a voice!) to make this a truly unforgettable evening.