A Blue plaque and other tributes to the pioneering women’s football team Manchester Corinthians will be unveiled at noon today (6 October 2023) at the site of their formation, Fog Lane Park, Didsbury, Manchester. In attendance will be over 20 women who played for the club between 1949 and 1983 and representatives from the Football Association, Manchester Football Association, Manchester City Council, football fans, members of the public and former England international Kerry Davis.
I’ve talked about the women often and what they achieved but here are several interviews with a few of the women who played for Corinthians. This link includes filmed interviews we did with Gail Robertson, Jan Lyons and Lesley Wright (all Corinthians) plus there’s an interview with Jane Morley who played for United Ladies and went on to coach City Ladies too:
https://www.thefa.com/competitions/uefa-womens-euro-2022/heritage/trafford-heritage
And the last film on the following web page is of an interview with Margaret Shepherd and Margaret Whitworth. Enjoy:
https://www.thefa.com/competitions/uefa-womens-euro-2022/heritage/wigan-and-leigh-heritage
About Manchester Corinthian Ladies Football Club
Manchester Corinthian Ladies FC was an English football club founded in 1949 by Percy Ashley. He established the club because his daughter Doris wanted to play football but couldn’t find a team. At this time The FA ban on women’s football using FA affiliated grounds was in place (from 1921; lifted in 1970). During the inaugural seasons the Corinthians played friendlies and in small scale competitions in the UK, but during the mid to late 1950s they embarked on a series of European tours.
Their fame grew and they received invites to play across Europe, in Africa and in South America. Occasionally playing as an unofficial England side in tournaments (these were the days before there was an official England team), they found success often, becoming the most successful women’s team by some distance.
Under the management of Percy Ashley, followed by Gladys Aikin and then George Aikin, the Corinthians were important representatives of women’s football, both internationally and domestically, always contributing to the game’s growth and development.
Gary James' Football Archive 