Category Archives: Gary James

A FA Ban

On this day in 1921 the FA banned women from playing football on FA affiliated grounds. A century later, in December 2021, I staged a talk at Hebden Bridge on this ban. The night was sponsored and supported by Geoff Matthews and his company Cansquared Ltd. It was a wonderful night and lots of attendees asked about the future and what they could do to help promote the stories of the women who played at a time when the FA tried to kill female participation in the sport. Well, after that night a lot has happened to recognise the Manchester Corinthians.

As part of my longstanding project into female participation and involvement in football in Manchester I have been researching and writing Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History. This hardback book will be out soon (it’s at the printers).

Margaret Shepherd and Margaret Whitworth with me prior to the Hebden Bridge event

A lot has been written on the Corinthians (see the section on women’s football on this site for a few examples) but not nearly enough, plus there are some inaccuracies out there that the book will correct (even now there are some that keep on being repeated – including both the start and end points for the Corinthians!). Basically, this team possessed a talented group of players who toured Europe and South America promoting football, female endeavour and Manchester.

I talked quite a bit about Corinthians at Hebden Bridge that night in 2021 and we were fortunate to have four Corinthians as guests that night. Margaret Whitworth, Margaret Shepherd, Lesley Wright and Gail Redston between them covered around 42 seasons of activity at the club.

I’ve been tracking down the names of other Corinthians to include in the book. It is now being printed with over 350 names. Earlier this year I had found 230 names, so a lot has been achieved. See:

Ask Your Mam or Nan if She Was a Footballer…

The Hebden Bridge night was significant.That night I mentioned my idea of having a plaque erected for the Corinthians in a significant/related location in Manchester. Several members of the audience thought this was a wonderful idea and asked if they could support the wider promotion of the Corinthians – one more or less suggested we should march on Downing Street to persuade them to do something about it!

In 2019 I’d written articles for a variety of publications suggesting the same and urging the FA and others to recognise the Corinthians. In the Manchester City men’s match programme as well I highlighted my desire to get a plaque erected about their achievements.

The talk at Hebden Bridge


Via Manchester Council I was put in contact with the Friends of Fog Lane Park and we ultimately set up a successful appeal in their name. The FA made a significant donation which funded the plaque and our fundraising efforts raised enough to allow the Friends to commission 2 murals and other tributes to the Corinthians as well.

Those present at Hebden Bridge in December 2021 helped raise the profile and that event was significant in highlighting the incredible achievements of its female footballers. Now, the authorised history of the Corinthians will tell the story of the club from its birth right through to the blue plaque appeal. It will use the voices of the women who represented Manchester and England in a positive manner and who won trophies in South America & Europe and who toured North Africa. They won a significant European competition before either Manchester men’s team yet their achievements were not recognised by the city until the blue plaque appeal started.

I am immensely proud of how this has all happened. The event at Hebden Bridge was free to attend and was made possible by the support of a locally based business, Cansquared (Geoff Matthews – who co-hosted the evening). We felt it was vital we made this free to attend to spread the word.

If anyone runs a bookshop, library or key Manchester venue and would like a Corinthians event then please get in touch. I’d be happy to promote the club and the book of course. The more we can do to promote their story the better.

Thanks for reading this. If you would like to find out more about the Corinthians then follow the tabs on this site or use the search function. If you’d like to know more about the FA Ban then you can download for free an article I co-wrote here:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17460263.2021.2025415

You can find out more on the Corinthians book here:

Manchester Corinthians

A few copies of my book on Manchester City Women are still available. This tells the history of City Women via the voices of the women (and some men) involved. The book has been heralded as a model for oral histories by the Oral History Society.

Here’s a link you can follow to order a signed copy of the City Women book:

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A Wonderful Celebration

On Monday (2 December 2024) we had a wonderful celebration for the Manchester Corinthians – the incredible women’s team that toured the globe promoting football, Manchester and female endeavour. If you couldn’t join us then here are a few video clips and photos of what was a truly special day.

We’ll start with my welcome speech, explaining the significance of the Corinthians and welcoming a room of around 90 people…

Next two Corinthians who have been consistent promoters and advocates for the club over the years (decades, actually!): Margaret Shepherd and Anne Grimes. Margaret starts with thanks to Gary James for his efforts and then Anne reads her poem about legendary Manager Percy Ashley. Well worth listening to:

And now a special video. It starts with 90 year old Mary Bee speaking after receiving her copy of the Armstrong Projects North West Football Awards 2024 Special Recognition Award and ends with the Corinthians singing their anthem. An absolute must see!

A few key points from yesterday’s event:

  • Players from Manchester Corinthian Ladies Football Club held a reunion on Monday 2 December to mark over 75 years since their club was established
  • Players from every era of the club attended, many in their 80s and 90s!
  • The reunion was held at Manchester City’s Stadium, where around 90 people gathered, with the majority being former players
  • Many players had not met since their playing days, in some cases for over sixty years
  • There were also video calls to founding players (1948-49) in North Devon and the Unites States
  • The reunion allowed former players to celebrate last week’s success at the Armstrong Projects Northwest Football Awards where they were presented with the Special Recognition Award for Services to Women’s Football
  • Later this month their Authorised History will be published, telling the incredible stories of these remarkable women

Women from the pioneering women’s football team Manchester Corinthians held a reunion at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium on Monday (2 December 2024). In attendance were over 80 people, including over forty women who played for the club between 1948-49 and its final days over forty years later. 

Several players in attendance were in their 80s and 90s, playing for the club in its formative years. This included women who participated in trophy winning tours across Europe and South America during the fifties, sixties and seventies.

North West Football Awards 2024 ball signed by Manchester Corinthians at the reunion

The Corinthians raised significant amounts of money for charity during their existence, while also promoting football and female endeavour at a time when participation in the sport was often frowned upon.

During the 1950s, playing as an unofficial England side, the Corinthians won a major European tournament in Germany and were supported on their travels by legendary Manchester City men’s goalkeeper Bert Trautmann.

In 1960 they found success in an unofficial ‘World Cup’ (officially the first ‘Torneo Internacional De Futbol Femenino’) in Venezuela as part of a significant tour of the West Indies and South America. Former player (outside right) Margaret Whitworth, who was present at the reunion, remembers: ‘We were treated like film stars. There were crowds everywhere we went. Playing in front of 56,000 was thrilling and the way women’s football was treated was so different to how it was back in England at the time. Here we had to play on park pitches or at other sports grounds, but there we played in major football stadiums.’

The reunion was organised by Dr Gary James who has been researching and promoting the Corinthians’ story for a decade. In recent years he led the project to erect a blue plaque to the team and later this month his book on the club, Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History, will be published. For the first time it tells the story of the club from formation through to its final game. Many of the Corinthians present at the reunion have been interviewed for the book, which is destined to become the definitive story of the club. Their achievements deserve this recognition. More on the book here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/order-manchester-corinthians-book/

Organiser Gary James, a Research Professor at New York University, commented: ‘This remarkable football club gave opportunities for women to play at a time when women’s football was banned by the FA. They toured the world but, more importantly, they played a part in developing women’s football for over forty years. Their players and officials created competition and helped to change the way women’s football was governed. Some of their players are still coaching and developing teams today. For several years I’ve wanted to help them gain recognition, not simply for one high profile moment, but for over seventy years of activity. The reunion was my thank you to all of them for what they achieved for football and Manchester.’

During the late 1960s the club’s management played a leading role in the creation of the Women’s Football Association. Both the Corinthians and their sister club the Nomads were founder members, and their manager Gladys Aikin became a member of the governing body’s committee. In fact, Gladys oversaw the Women’s FA international committee which instigated the first official England international team in 1972. Corinthian Jean Wilson played in the historic first official international and she was present on Monday too.  Gladys’s daughter Carol, a former goalkeeper with the Corinthians and a Women’s FA Cup winner with Fodens, was present at the reunion as memories of Gladys’s time were discussed.

Those attending the reunion talked fondly of the club’s original manager Percy Ashley, who was the driving force when the Corinthians toured the globe, winning tournaments and raising significant amounts for charity. After his death in 1967, the Corinthians continued to play and former players present on Monday remembered how, in the 1970s, they were frequently coached by the Manchester City 1956 FA Cup winner Dave Ewing at City’s Platt Lane training complex. 

Many of the Corinthians present went on to become players with Manchester City’s women’s team during its inaugural season of 1988-89. This includes Lesley Wright who continues to find success as the England Over 60s walking football captain. She also coaches women’s football at Stockport County, continuing the Corinthian influence through to the modern day development of the sport. 

About Manchester Corinthian Ladies Football Club 

Manchester Corinthian Ladies FC was an English football club founded during 1948-49. Its driving force was manager Percy Ashley. 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.

The club spawned sister clubs, including Dynamo Ladies and the Nomads, who were also successful and often accompanied the Corinthians on tour and in competition. Both the Corinthians and Nomads became founder members of the Women’s Football Association.

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

This book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and will consist of over 350 pages. It will be illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging). All orders received before publication (late December) will be sent out on publication.

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

Dennis Tueart Goal (and Video Interview)

On 20 November 1976 Dennis Tueart scored the only goal as Manchester City defeated West Bromwich Albion at Maine Road. Here’s a video of an interview I did with Dennis last year. In this we focus on him leaving Manchester City for the NASL and New York Cosmos; his experiences there and his return to City. Dennis is always a great talker and there are some wonderful moments in this as he talks about this significant time in the changing Manchester City and in the excitement of New York soccer.

The conversation links Tony Book, Leonard Rossiter, Pele, Carlos Alberto, John Cleese, Dave Sexton, Malcolm Allison and Franz Beckenbauer amongst others.

It lasts about 50 minutes so get your self a brew and sit down to watch:

Dennis’s biography is still available (see link below).

If you have enjoyed this interview then why not subscribe to access other interviews in the archive, plus over 1000 articles/features. See below for details.

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

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Dennis Tueart’s biography is available at most bookshops, including the usual online retailers such as:

Why GJFootballArchive.com

It’s been almost four years since I set this website up, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to thank everyone interested in my work. I’d also like to explain why I’m doing this; what the archive consists of and how often it will be added to.

First – why? For some time before setting it up people kept asking me when I’d be doing my own blog. Overthe years I’ve always been pleased with the responses to my guest appearances on podcasts, vlogs and blogs. The feedback has been excellent but I’ve always had so much more to say. I care passionately about ensuring football’s history is properly researched & recorded and feel there’s always a place for detailed, quality research. Debunking myths, adding to our knowledge and performing detailed research has always been important to me.

The idea of creating this blog and archive came because I wanted to create content, based on the research I’ve performed over the decades, while also setting up an archive of my past work. Much of my writing is now out of print and it matters enormously to me that books like Manchester A Football History should be available (subscribers can access the full 2010 edition of that book on this site, plus my first book).

I am a self employed historian and spend all my working week writing, researching and publishing my work. I am not an employee of any organisation (I know some think I’m employed by a football club but I’m not an employee nor am I an official club historian of any club). In recent years I have worked on projects with Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Leicester City, amongst others – sometimes paid, sometimes unpaid. I am independent of any organisation and care passionately about the quality and accuracy of my work. As so much of this is out of print, I am keen to create this archive for my work and add to it as time goes by.

Next – what? So what is my football archive? It is a place where over 1,700 articles/features have been posted. These include new material, interviews, profiles, past articles, book sections and more. Some of this material was written some time ago or is based on interviews performed many years ago (including interviews with players who have since died). Most of the material posted so far is connected with Manchester City but there are articles of interest to Manchester United, Manchester Corinthians and other teams, including England. Further articles on Manchester’s clubs will follow.

Some articles are free to download but other material is available to subscribers only. As mentioned earlier, my research and writing is something I strive hard to ensure is of quality. My commitment to those who read my work is that I will always seek to maintain the highest standards. I am eternally grateful to those who purchase my books or subscribe to my work.

To see what articles have already been published go to the search page (using the links under the banner at the top of this page) and either search on a key word or have a look at the categories listed there.

Next – when? There are already over 1700 posts/articles live and this will increase significantly over the coming months. I’m keen to hear from subscribers which books, articles, interviews they’d like access to here. I want this to develop into a community of readers whose views absolutely matter.

A limited amount of content will always be free for anyone to read but those subscribing will have access to everything on this site for as long as they subscribe. For subscribers I will post a minimum of 4 articles/features each month. To subscribe costs £3 a month or you can sign up on an annual basis for the discounted fee of £20 a year (the 2010 edition of Manchester A Football History, which is available as a pdf to subscribers, cost £24.95 when published and is now out of print).

If you’re uncertain whether to subscribe or not then why not subscribe for a month at £3 and see if you’re getting value for money. The £20 annual subscription works out about £1.67 a month.

Thanks for reading this. If you’d like to subscribe then please do so below. I really appreciate the support and I promise I’ll continue to add content that informs, entertains and has been researched to the highest standards.

Best wishes, Gary

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Film of Steve Daley’s First MCFC Goal

Here’s film of the first goal that Steve Daley scored for Manchester City (scored on 17 November 1979). The player had received some criticism following his expensive transfer (a little less than £1.5m) to City and you can see on this clip how delighted he was to score his first MCFC goal. It was scored from the edge of the area against Bolton at Burden Park. The game ended 1-0.

A few years ago I performed an interview with Steve about this time. We discussed his transfer, City fans and the spending City were doing at the time we did the interview. It was great interviewing Steve and I enjoyed it immensely, helping fill in some gaps.

This interview is available to subscribers below.

Subscribe to get access

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month to subscribe or sign up for a year at the special price of £20 (works out about £1.67 a month). Monthly subscribers can cancel anytime, so why not give it a try for a month? Monthly subscribers access everything posted since 1 October 2022 whereas annual subscribers get everything posted since the site started in December 2020. Books, interviews (audio and written), images, features and more have been posted to this site so far. More to come.

Subscribe

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

Choose an amount

£2.50
£5.00
£7.50

Or enter a custom amount

£

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate

You can find out more about subscriber benefits here:

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Manchester Corinthians Book Proof Pages

The proof reading process has begun for the book. It’s looking great so far.

It’s going to be a hectic period but it is always enjoyable to see how these things develop. The final cut off for text is this weekend, so I’m making one final call for the names of women who played for the Manchester Corinthians at some point during the club’s astounding 40+ years to be identified.

There is a list of all known players included within Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History and, while over 350 names have been identified, I know there are many other women who played at some point during the club’s history. So please ask your families, spread the news and let me know of anyone who has possibly been missed.

I want to record the names of the players and, where possible, the years they played. So please get in touch. The appropriate pages within the book will be designed and ready for printing this weekend, so we’re right at the deadline.

It’s worth remembering that some Corinthians had previously kept quiet because of reactions they may have had to playing football in the past. In fact, during my research, I have met women who had not told their families that they played football and so asking the simple question ‘Did you play football, Nan?’ will sometimes bring out a wonderful aspect of your nan’s life. So, I urge you all to ask your mum, mam, ma, mātā, mom, madar, mama, nan, gran, nani, nana, nonna, granny, babushka, grandma (or whatever term of affection you use for your mother or grandmother) about playing sport.

Ask your mam or your nan if she played – you never know what you’ll hear! Granny may well have been one of the club’s pioneering figures – or a leading light at another club whose story needs to be told – but just hasn’t talked about it!

If you find a Corinthian then get in touch. I really don’t want to leave anybody out of my book. But time is short – I need to know by end of Friday!

As well as asking your mam or your nan, how about helping the book by subscribing to it? You will get a copy of the book (posted out before it appears in the shops) and your name will be included in a special roll of honour published within the book if ordered by end of today (15 November) here:

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 mid December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£25.00

Opportunities to buy multiple copies, sponsor the book or donate to ensure it’s published to the size and standard the women who played deserve exist. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com for more information on those opportunities.

This book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and will consist of over 300 pages. It will be fully illustrated throughout and subscribers can order it now for £19.95 (including UK postage and packaging). All orders received by end of 15 November 2024 will have the purchaser’s name included within the special roll of honour at the back of the book. You can order the book for someone else – all details will be checked and confirmed before publication.

The book will be published this December.

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.

The book will include the story of the club as told by the women involved, alongside a significant amount of archive material. Myths will be corrected and the facts of this pioneering club will be told in an easy to read format.

Guided by Percy Ashley, the club went on to represent Manchester, football and female endeavour for decades, winning major international tournaments in Europe and South America. The Corinthians are, without doubt, one of the most important football clubs ever to come from Manchester and they were a prominent and pioneering club in so many ways.

As well as the interviews and dozens of archive trips there’s been a concerted effort to compile as comprehensive list as possible on women who played for the club. I’ve managed to compile a list of around 300 women who played for the club. Objects and trophies have also been rediscovered. This is the type of detailed research I enjoy. It’s time consuming, difficult and often frustrating but occasionally you find a little gem that adds significantly to our knowledge. There have been quite a few of those.

The Hebden Bridge talk when the campaign for a Blue Plaque and other tributes was publicly announced, December 2021

Those subscribing to the book will receive a copy signed by author Gary James and posted out to subscribers before it appears in any shop or is distributed to any retailer. This is the ONLY way to guarantee your copy.

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History will include interviews with players from every era of the club from a founding player back in 1948-49 through to those playing for the club in its final days over 40 years later (yes, that’s right – over 40 years later!). The book will finally tell the story of the club from start to finish via the voices of the women who played. Via these voices the entire history of the club will be explained with the key figures identified and remembered. There’s a remarkable trail of women linking the first game with the last.

The book will be published to a similar style and quality to the acclaimed Manchester City Women: An Oral History and is destined to be another landmark publication on a major, pioneering women’s football club. Dozens of former players have been interviewed for this book and their remarkable stories and memories will be supported with an amazing array of photographs, newspaper articles, match programmes, trophies and other items of memorabilia from every era of the club’s existence.

Alongside chapters chronicling the history of the club there will also be features on founder Percy Ashley, who dedicated his life to promoting women’s football, and on Gladys Aikin (a key figure not only with the Corinthians but also with the early years of the Women’s Football Association) and George Aikin, who continued to take the Corinthians on tours into the 1980s. There will be special features on the major tours of the 1950s and 1960s when Percy Ashley led the Corinthians to major international success.

The cover of the book will be worked on by the designer over the coming months but following feedback from former players the maroon has been replaced with a darker blue, more reminiscent of the colour most frequently worn by the Corinthians (based on the reports, programmes and other material found so far and the majority of comments from players). This may still change of course (‘The Authorised History’ will probably change colour too). The back will contain later images and wording.

If you’d like to purchase my earlier book on women’s football then a limited number of copies, signed by me, are still available. You can order that and other books here:

Shop

LAST CALL: Ask Your Mam or Nan if She Played for the Corinthians

I’m making one final call for the names of women who played for the Manchester Corinthians at some point during the club’s astounding 40+ years to be identified. There will be a list of all known players included within Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History and, while over 350 names have been identified, I know there are many other women who played at some point during the club’s history. So please ask your families, spread the news and let me know of anyone who has possibly been missed.

I want to record the names of the players and, where possible, the years they played. So please get in touch by the end of Friday 15 November. The appropriate pages within the book will be designed and ready for printing this weekend, so after Friday it’ll be too late.

It’s worth remembering that some Corinthians had previously kept quiet because of reactions they may have had to playing football in the past. In fact, during my research, I have met women who had not told their families that they played football and so asking the simple question ‘Did you play football, Nan?’ will sometimes bring out a wonderful aspect of your nan’s life. So, I urge you all to ask your mum, mam, ma, mātā, mom, madar, mama, nan, gran, nani, nana, nonna, granny, babushka, grandma (or whatever term of affection you use for your mother or grandmother) about playing sport.

Ask your mam or your nan if she played – you never know what you’ll hear! Granny may well have been one of the club’s pioneering figures – or a leading light at another club whose story needs to be told – but just hasn’t talked about it!

If you find a Corinthian then get in touch. I really don’t want to leave anybody out of my book. But time is short – I need to know by end of Friday!

As well as asking your mam or your nan, how about helping the book by subscribing to it? You will get a copy of the book (posted out before it appears in the shops) and your name will be included in a special roll of honour published within the book if ordered by 15 November here:

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 mid December 2024. This is a UK only discounted price of £19.95(RRP £25). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£19.95

Opportunities to buy multiple copies, sponsor the book or donate to ensure it’s published to the size and standard the women who played deserve exist. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com for more information on those opportunities.

This book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and will consist of over 300 pages. It will be fully illustrated throughout and subscribers can order it now for £19.95 (including UK postage and packaging). All orders received before 15 November 2024 will have the purchaser’s name included within the special roll of honour at the back of the book. You can order the book for someone else – all details will be checked and confirmed before publication.

The book will be published this December.

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.

The book will include the story of the club as told by the women involved, alongside a significant amount of archive material. Myths will be corrected and the facts of this pioneering club will be told in an easy to read format.

Guided by Percy Ashley, the club went on to represent Manchester, football and female endeavour for decades, winning major international tournaments in Europe and South America. The Corinthians are, without doubt, one of the most important football clubs ever to come from Manchester and they were a prominent and pioneering club in so many ways.

As well as the interviews and dozens of archive trips there’s been a concerted effort to compile as comprehensive list as possible on women who played for the club. I’ve managed to compile a list of around 300 women who played for the club. Objects and trophies have also been rediscovered. This is the type of detailed research I enjoy. It’s time consuming, difficult and often frustrating but occasionally you find a little gem that adds significantly to our knowledge. There have been quite a few of those.

The Hebden Bridge talk when the campaign for a Blue Plaque and other tributes was publicly announced, December 2021

Those subscribing to the book will receive a copy signed by author Gary James and posted out to subscribers before it appears in any shop or is distributed to any retailer. This is the ONLY way to guarantee your copy.

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History will include interviews with players from every era of the club from a founding player back in 1948-49 through to those playing for the club in its final days over 40 years later (yes, that’s right – over 40 years later!). The book will finally tell the story of the club from start to finish via the voices of the women who played. Via these voices the entire history of the club will be explained with the key figures identified and remembered. There’s a remarkable trail of women linking the first game with the last.

The book will be published to a similar style and quality to the acclaimed Manchester City Women: An Oral History and is destined to be another landmark publication on a major, pioneering women’s football club. Dozens of former players have been interviewed for this book and their remarkable stories and memories will be supported with an amazing array of photographs, newspaper articles, match programmes, trophies and other items of memorabilia from every era of the club’s existence.

Alongside chapters chronicling the history of the club there will also be features on founder Percy Ashley, who dedicated his life to promoting women’s football, and on Gladys Aikin (a key figure not only with the Corinthians but also with the early years of the Women’s Football Association) and George Aikin, who continued to take the Corinthians on tours into the 1980s. There will be special features on the major tours of the 1950s and 1960s when Percy Ashley led the Corinthians to major international success.

The cover of the book will be worked on by the designer over the coming months but following feedback from former players the maroon has been replaced with a darker blue, more reminiscent of the colour most frequently worn by the Corinthians (based on the reports, programmes and other material found so far and the majority of comments from players). This may still change of course (‘The Authorised History’ will probably change colour too). The back will contain later images and wording.

If you’d like to purchase my earlier book on women’s football then a limited number of copies, signed by me, are still available. You can order that and other books here:

Shop

Manchester United 0 City 2

Here’s a brief clip I took on this day (6 November) in 2021 of City fans at the end of the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford. A dominant day for Manchester’s Blues.

After the game City manager Pep Guardiola told the BBC he wanted to give a ‘massive compliment to the players’ because ‘they are the real artists for the way we played.’

Guardiola said City’s approach was shaped by United’s ability on the counter-attack: ‘If you don’t finish the attack you will be attacked much, much quicker and that is where they are so good. That is why we needed a game with a thousand million passes. We need a game like with the ball in the fridge, keep it there. Right now Chelsea are unstoppable. We know we cannot drop much points to be close to them but against the big six we performed well.’

The win lifted City above Liverpool into second in the Premier League while fifth-placed United were nine points behind leaders Chelsea.

Here’s MCFC’s film of the game:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/manchester-united-city-match-highlights-premier-league-long-63771808

Manchester Corinthians Reunion/Celebration

We have organised a Manchester Corinthians Celebration/Reunion on Monday 2nd December 2024 at the Mancunian Suite, Manchester City FC, Etihad Stadium.

Corinthians from every era of the club’s existence are anticipated to be there from the club’s first season in 1948-49 onwards. The idea is to celebrate the achievements of all the women who played, founder Percy Ashley and the others involved with the club over the years.

If the publishing schedule works out my book: Manchester Corinthians The Authorised History may also be present.

Please contact gary@GJFootballArchive.com if you are a Corinthian/Nomad and would like to attend.

We are keen to ensure as many Corinthians as possible are present. So if you know a Corinthian we may have missed then please let us know.

Manchester Corinthians Blue Plaque Unveiling
Order: Manchester Corinthians Book

MCFC V Southampton

If you’re at the Manchester City game today and are lucky enough to read the match programme, my One Moment in Time feature includes a photo of the Kippax Stand taken about a hour before kick off of a City-Southampton match in November 1982. Here are highlights of that match for those who want to know more about the game:

You can read more on the 1982-83 season here:

The 1980s: 1982-1983 Selling Francis
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