Today was a wonderful day when Liverpool FC welcomed myself & several Manchester Corinthians to their women’s training facility at Melwood. The women who played for the Corinthians during the 50s-80s met the current first team WSL squad of Liverpool; had a tour of the facilities; signed autographs (LFC wanted the Corinthians’ autographs and vice versa); and were given a wonderful lunch. I cannot stress highly enough how incredible the welcome was from LFC – all at LFC, not simply one or two people but everybody from security though to every area of the club.
The oldest Corinthian able to attend was 90 year old Centre-forward Mary Bee. Mary, along with Margaret Whitworth and Gill Holland who were also there today, participated in a major international tournament in Venezuela in 1960 which the Corinthians won. She also played in the 1957 European Cup victory over Germany in Berlin (the Corinthians played as an unofficial England team). Others present today included players who had defeated Juventus in a major final in France in 1970.
Thank you Liverpool! It really was appreciated. Some photographs from the visit appear at the end of this article.
If you’re wondering why the Corinthians are so important to football’s history watch this free 18 minute film (including interviews with some of those at LFC today) now. You won’t be disappointed:
You can discover more on the Corinthians’ history (the facts not the fiction!) in my new book. Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History. It is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and consists of 356 pages.
It is illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging). I’ll sign all copies ordered direct from me below.
If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.
You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.
UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History
The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in late December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.
£25.00
Some photos from today’s visit:
Gary James' Football Archive 