Category Archives: Women’s Football

6 Months On: Manchester Coming Together To Recognise The Corinthians

It’s hard to believe but April marks six months since an amazing day when Manchester came together, along with a wonderful community of former footballers, to recognise the pioneering women’s team the Manchester Corinthians. It was an incredible day made possible with the support of so many individuals, groups and community leaders. So often we highlight issues, problems or moments where communities separate or fail but the long running campaign to bring recognition to the Corinthians has seen so many come together for something extremely positive.

Personally, I was touched by the support received for this campaign and the plaque unveiling was the biggest visible sign that it was succeeding with huge TV audiences tuning in. One news broadcast alone featuring the Corinthians’ plaque unveiling had 2.7 million live viewers. Add to that downloads and all the news features experienced on TV and radio that day and the number rockets significantly. There were also newspaper articles and more.

The aim, back in 2019 when the idea of erecting permanent tributes was first raised publicly in an article I wrote, had been to bring recognition and wider public awareness to the exploits of these remarkable footballers. The media coverage certainly did that and also other Corinthians came forward who had seen the coverage.

I’d particularly like to pay tribute to Jam Williams-Thomas from ITV Granada who promised me he’d ensure Granada Reports would have a camera crew there many, many months before the exact date had been finalised. That support was vital. In the end David Chisnall came from Granada Reports and did a wonderful feature on the plaque and recognising the Corinthians. Thanks to you, Jam and all at Granada Reports. It really helped (there are links to some of the TV coverage at the bottom of this article).

2019 was the year when the campaign received a lot of support. Back then I contacted many key Manchester and national institutions with the concept. Manchester City FC immediately supported the idea and that year several Corinthians, plus myself, were invited to City to attend a WSL game, where they met England international Karen Bardsley and England women manager Phil Neville. The Blues also included features in their match programme and on their website on the history of the Corinthians.

Margaret Whitworth, Karen Bardsley, Margaret Shepherd & Gary James. Several Corinthians were guests of Manchester City for a WSL game.

They’ve continued to support and promote the Corinthians’ story ever since. I don’t know how many millions read their website today but again, like the national news coverage, this level of readership is significant. I’m not daft enough to think everyone reading the stories or watching the news will want to know more about the Corinthians, but if just 1% do then that in itself is an incredible number of people who previously may not have known or understood how the Corinthians toured the globe promoting Manchester, football and female endeavour.

Simon Mullock at the Sunday Mirror helped with an excellent feature too back in the early days. That support from a national tabloid was so important in widening the news and soon, in general conversation, people were mentioning the Corinthians and their achievements. I loved that! We were getting somewhere and Simon, together with later features by renowned journalists focusing on women’s football in other newspapers, was a big part of that.

Another major supporter since the start has been the Manchester FA’s Colin Bridgford. Again in 2019 we met up to talk about what we could do to promote the Corinthians’ story and I wrote several articles for the Manchester FA’s website. That support was important and helped raise the profile of what we were trying to achieve. We also arranged a meeting with Manchester FA staff and several of the Corinthians, including Margaret Whitworth, Margaret Shepherd and Jan Lyons – three of the Corinthian stalwarts who have worked tirelessly to rightly highlight the story of their team. Plans were put in place to do other activities with the Manchester FA but sadly Covid hit and plans had to be abandoned. Colin and his team did, of course, support the plaque unveiling last October.

The FA have helped too. In fact they have not only helped promote the story but also provided significant funding to ensure permanent tributes could be made. My connection with Rachel Pavlou at The FA came via Caterina Loriggio. Cat led a major project in partnership with the Women’s Euros the other year and I acted as the Heritage Lead for Trafford Council. Via the UEFA & FA project a series of activities were established in each host city/borough and the Corinthians inevitably became part of that. I performed interviews with several Corinthians (borrowing some of their trophies and kit too for an exhibition) in Trafford and others were interviewed at Wigan & Leigh. These were filmed and are still available here:

#IWD: Women’s Football Interviews and Videos

When I discussed the idea of erecting permanent tributes with Rachel she immediately offered funds and other support to ensure the Corinthians were recognised. The FA and Cat also approved the wording for the plaque. For me this had to recognise all the Corinthians, not one person or individual moments (I knew we could pay appropriate tribute to all of that via the book I’ve been working on for several years, which will be published this summer).

The FA were not the only ones to get involved of course as the campaign brought together a wide range of people… as with every project like this there are many, unsung heroes who work tirelessly without seeking or receiving financial reward. In that category are the Friends of Fog Lane Park. They deserve immense praise, especially Pamela & Alice and the others who attended various meetings along the way and performed many tasks that made the unveiling day such a success.

Some of the Friends of Fog Lane Park at the last meeting before the Corinthians plaque unveiling

I’d been introduced to the Friends by Manchester City Council, in particular Paul Hulme. Jan Lyons and I had met Paul at an early meeting we’d arranged. We’d hoped there would be support from the Council and sure enough Paul was interested, particularly when Jan told some of the Corinthians’ story. Her words and experiences brought it all to life and demonstrated perfectly why we needed to get this story out there. Paul immediately set up a meeting with the Friends of Fog Lane Park and other council officials and employees.

At that meeting in the Fog Lane Park Café me, Margaret Whitworth, Margaret Shepherd and Jan Lyons, explained about the Corinthians with the former players telling their stories while the Friends were enthralled. I put it all into context in terms of the wider football and Manchester stories, then explained about the attempts to raise public awareness and how we wanted to get a Blue Plaque erected. We agreed that the Blue Plaque appeal would be established in the name of the Friends of Fog Lane Park – they had a dedicated committee of passionate individuals and the opportunity to publicly recognise the Corinthians in the park that had been their home for over two decades was wonderful.

One of the Friends of Fog Lane Park meetings where we discussed the erecting of permanent tributes, 20 May 2022

Those who donated to the appeal to erect permanent tributes to the Corinthians were: Pam Barnes, Dan Mooney, Adam Turgoose, ‘Ben’, ‘Jean J’, Jonathan Kaye, Megan Riley, Helena Byrne, Dawn Burrows, Clare Wilkins, Linda Foley, Debbie Enever, John Carrier, Jacqui McAssey, Michael Cottam, Karen Phanco, David Hoyle, Daniel Rubin, Heidi James, Gary James and the Dick, Kerr Ladies Foundation. There were a couple of anonymous donations too. It was gratifying that many of those listed were not from Manchester but were connected with women’s football in other parts of the world. That was wonderful to see. It was also fantastic that via Gail Newsham the Dick, Kerr Ladies Foundation supported the campaign with a significant donation too, proving what a great community of women’s football enthusiasts and researchers we have.

The Friends of Fog Lane Park managed to get matching funds from Manchester City Council too and the Friends had some wonderful ideas to really improve the park and tributes further. As well as the hoped for plaque and a lectern providing a Corinthians’ timeline, the Friends organised for some of the funds raised via the appeal and The FA to be spent on two impressive murals painted by artist Gavin Renshaw and for a handout to be produced for park visitors on the Corinthians. Now everybody who visits the park gets to see wonderful artwork (on a former graffiti covered building), the plaque, a lectern, an information board inside the café and the leaflet. All of this is helping get the story out there again and, for those young girls and boys kicking a ball around the park, is inspiring.

In the weeks building up to the unveiling day the Friends spent considerable time and effort tidying up the park, arranging some of the logistics, erecting the plaque itself, overseeing the mural work, organising sandwiches, baking cakes and more. It was a real community effort and all deserve thanking again.

Various media companies helped promote the plaque appeal with myself, Friends of Fog Lane Park, Margaret Whitworth, Margaret Shepherd, Jan Lyons and other Corinthians being interviewed on a fairly regular basis. Contacts I had with various stations helped enormously (you know who you are – thanks for your support) and brought airtime we couldn’t have managed with cold calls.

When it came to the plaque itself another who helped was Mark Metcalf. Mark had instigated footballing plaques at various locations and I’d been fortunate to be involved with a couple. Mark provided contacts with plaque manufacturers and helped ensure we got a decent price too.

There was also a wonderful night in Hebden Bridge in December 2021 where several Corinthians were interviewed publicly and I gave a talk on the history of women’s football. At the end of that event I announced publicly for the first time the campaign to erect a blue plaque and that brought significant interest from the people of West Yorkshire. Local businessman Geoff Matthews had funded the talk and event and that support was wonderful too.

The plaque unveiling was supported on the day by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who spoke about the Corinthians as the suffragettes of football, and former England international Kerry Davis. She had actually played against many of the Corinthians in attendance that day too. Hundreds of people attended with strong support from fans of women’s football, including several key members of the Manchester City Women Supporters Club. Former City player Stacey Copeland was a key supporter that day (as she has been at other events, including the one at Hebden Bridge) and she has made efforts herself to promote the story and help the Corinthians frequently.

It really was quite remarkable the amount of interest demonstrated that day and how the story of the Corinthians has continued to receive attention.

I know this has been a lengthy piece but I think it’s both necessary and valuable to remember what a remarkable day the plaque unveiling was and to remember all those who contributed along the way. All of those involved, especially the Friends of Fog Lane Park, put considerable effort into that day and they quite rightly stood back to ensure the Corinthians’ achievements were recognised first and foremost. That day – and in the months leading up to it – a great community came together to ensure the Corinthians were thanked for all they had done for football and Manchester and the media support ensured that story was spread loud and clear.

I am really pleased and proud with the way it developed and how such a huge community has helped along the way.

This summer the events of the plaque unveiling and the campaign leading up to it will be included within the Authorised History I am writing. The book will detail every season of the Corinthians, plus their legacy, and will pay tribute to these remarkable players, their managers, coaches and supporting family and friends. Community again, working together. Dozens of players covering every single season from January 1949 through to the club’s demise have been interviewed, while archives have been researched extensively to correct myths and add facts to the memories of those who were there.

Over the last five years or so contemporary articles and film of the Corinthians has been found and I’ve written for a variety of footballing and non-footballing national, regional & local publications and websites. Some have inspired others and some have helped re-unite former players.

I think, out of everything that has been achieved over the last five years or so it’s the re-uniting of players that is most satisfying, along with the support of a wide community of organisations, volunteers, footballers and more. Thanks.

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History is available to order pre-publication:

Order: Manchester Corinthians Book

Dr Gary James’ new book “Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History” is available to order pre-publication for £19.95. Everyone ordering before publication will get their name published in the book.

ITV’s national news coverage of the plaque unveiling can be seen here:

https://www.itv.com/watch/news/manchester-honours-the-team-who-defied-an-fa-ban-on-womens-football/ckpxws1

ITV Granada Reports coverage of the unveiling is here:

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2023-10-06/honour-for-one-of-the-oldest-womens-football-teams

There’s lots of other material on the Corinthians on this website. Feel free to search ‘Corinthians’ below or use links like this:

Welcome to Gary James’ Football Archive

Documenting the History of Women’s Football

There are some excellent books on women’s football out there but we still need more. There are many long forgotten clubs who deserve to be remembered and it’s up to those of us who research football history to ensure they are remembered, with their efforts properly recorded. There are people like Gail Newsham and her decades’ (many decades) worth of research into Dick, Kerr Ladies, that have helped us understand some of the achievements of women’s clubs over the years. Gail has been researching because it matters to her personally – it’s something I totally understand. Those of us who focus on our clubs or on teams from our towns or on people we’ve known over the decades, tend to research because it’s our passion. It matters to us personally – and it’s often clear when people jump on a bandwagon and mistakenly think there’s money to be made or it’ll give them some form of reflected glory.

For myself, I’ve been researching and writing about football in Manchester throughout my adult life. In my first book, published when I was 21 (but started when I was 19), I managed to include something on the newly formed Manchester City Ladies FC. I was at their first game (in fact I was a regular for the first 4 years of the club’s existence) and my girlfriend (now wife) played for them, scoring twice in the club’s first match. She’d previously played for another Manchester team and during this period we got to know several former Manchester Corinthians players.

The relaunch of Manchester City’s women’s team, 2014

Since that time in the 1980s I have been fortunate to meet so many fascinating former footballers – men and women – and have always been fascinated by their stories. I’ve also written lots of books and articles over the last 35 years or so, covering a variety of topics but predominantly focusing on the history of football in Manchester. Publishers have often tried to push me down particular pathways (or said there isn’t enough space for something I felt needed covering) and I understand that. Nevertheless, my motivation has always been to uncover the history of the region’s football clubs and to ensure it is recorded as accurately as possible – no matter how much space it takes. Facts not fiction, dispelling myths (and believe me there are a lot of myths out there!).

If you want to research a topic then do it. Don’t let anybody put you off.

In terms of women’s football in particular I’ve written dozens of articles for Sport in History, Soccer & Society, Manchester FA, Manchester Evening News, She Kicks, Trafford Council, When Saturday Comes, the FA, UEFA, Manchester City, Manchester United and many others, including various fanzines.

Research by Dr Gary James led to the history of Manchester United Ladies FC being documented as part of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Arts and Heritage programme

There has also been Manchester City Women: An Oral History – the first detailed history of a WSL club. Many of these articles have been about the Manchester Corinthians and I have heard stories recently which talk about one of my articles on the Corinthians providing inspiration. That’s wonderful.

2024 will see the publication of two books I’ve been working on for several years. There’s a book for the publisher Peter Lang, co-edited with Fiona Skillen and Helena Byrne, on the history of women’s football in Britain and Ireland which includes contributions from several leading historians of women’s football. That will be an excellent historical analysis of women’s football.

Then there’s my labour of love – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History which I’ve self-funded. This will be of the same quality and size as my book on Manchester City Women and in many ways is a sort of prequel.

One of Gary James’ history of women’s football in Manchester talks at the National Football Museum, including interviews with Jan Lyons and Lesley Wright.

Why the Corinthians? Well, you’ll see from reading the book that I regard the club as the most significant women’s club in the region (possibly nationally) prior to the WSL era (and therefore of huge significance to football, Manchester and nationally!). There have been several prominent trophy winning women’s clubs in Greater Manchester and there have been many that have toured outside the UK, but the Corinthians did all of that and more. There are many myths out there about the club (and some have been promoted a lot recently) but the history of this club is truly significant – and I really do mean ‘truly significant’ as you’ll see in the book. We do not need myths because the facts are remarkable.

Rather than focus on one angle or era, the book covers every season from its formation in 1949 to its demise four decades later. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Manchester Corinthians’ formation and over the last decade I have interviewed dozens of women involved with the club. I’ve captured stories and voices from women who played in games during EVERY season of the club’s long history. It’s been a shattering but utterly worthwhile experience.

Anyone who has bought my previous books, whether they be on the wider history of men’s football in Manchester, biographies on Mercer or Barnes, Maine Road, or Manchester City Women, will know the lengths I go to make sure the story is interesting, entertaining and factually correct, quoting those that experienced it at the time and supporting players’ memories with detailed archival research. My research into the Manchester Corinthians has been a labour of love. The women who played, and those who were involved but are sadly no longer with us, deserve to be remembered and celebrated.

My hope for the book is that long after we’ve all gone there will be people visiting the library or picking up the book who can learn more about this remarkable club and the people involved with it. Thanks.

You can find out more on the Manchester Corinthians book here:

Order: Manchester Corinthians Book

Before the Corinthians there were the Manchester Ladies (and other clubs in the region – some will be mentioned in the Corinthians book of course!). Steve Bolton wrote a guest blog on Manchester Ladies which can still be read here:

Guest Blog – Steve Bolton: The Pioneering Manchester Ladies Part One
Margaret Whitworth, Karen Bardsley, Margaret Shepherd & Gary James. Several Corinthians were guests of Manchester City for a WSL game.
Research by Dr Gary James led to the history of women’s football in Trafford being documented as part of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Arts and Heritage programme

Steph Houghton

I’ve just heard the news that Steph Houghton will be retiring from professional football at the end of this current season (2023-24). It’s a major loss to football. Steph has been a wonderful ambassador for football and has been the perfect role model for many, many years.

I was fortunate enough to interview her about 5 years ago when I was researching and writing my history of Manchester City’s women’s team. That day she was wonderful and her love of the game was contagious. I’ve interviewed a lot of footballers over the years and, considering Steph was Manchester City and England captain at the time, she had no airs or graces or tried to act in a particular way. She seemed genuine and I was impressed.

Her arrival at City was hugely significant for the Club and in my interviews with her colleagues and City’s management it was clear that her commitment to the City cause back in 2014 was so important. It helped convince others of how special City’s plans were and over the years that followed her commitment was rewarded with significant success.

I could go on for some time about Steph’s significance and maybe later in the season I’ll post more, but for the time being let’s celebrate every minute she plays over these final weeks. Let’s also ensure the youngest fans get to see her play while they can. In future decades they’ll remember and be able to say they saw her play.

While you’re here why not find out more on earlier generations of women’s footballers:

Manchester Corinthians’ Latest

The 1990s: Manchester City v Manchester United

Yesterday (23 March 2024) saw another Manchester City victory over United in the WSL Manchester derby. It’s always impressive seeing the Blues win and this City team has been in existence since 1988. The history of women’s football in Manchester does not always get the attention it deserves and many of us have been determined to change that for years (this year I’ll be publishing the Authorised History of the Manchester Corinthians after years of research – see below). So hopefully the following will be of interest. It includes a few quotes from those involved in previous decades and I’ve included it as part of my series on the 1990s as the first City-Utd women’s league derby took place in 1990.

While the perception will always exist that Manchester United’s women’s team has always been City’s rivals and vice versa, for both clubs the real rivals have varied over the years. Derby matches have been played against Manchester Belle Vue and other prominent local clubs. There were even derbies in the 1940s when Manchester Ladies and Manchester Corinthians played each other.


However, any game between City and United takes on extra significance. United fans established a Manchester United Ladies team in the 1970s with close ties to the men’s club. This eventually was closed down by the men’s club before re-emerging in 2018 as a WSL 2 club. In September 2019 the first WSL Manchester derby between City and United occurred at the Etihad following United’s move into the top flight. This was a truly special day for both clubs and for those of us present.

The first competitive derby between City and United was actually in September 1990 in the North West Women’s Regional Football League Second Division when Neil Mather was City’s manager: “I was nervous for weeks on end, and it was coming and coming and coming. I thought ‘we’ve got to beat United in the first competitive Derby.’ Being a big blue it was like ‘whatever we do we’ve got to beat them.’ We were 4-1 up with about five minutes to go and then had a five minute collapse where I thought we’re going to blow this. At one point it had looked like we were going to get five or six and annihilate them and then we nearly lost it! Thank God we hung on for a 4-3 win, but I’ll never forget that game. We had a girl called Jenny Newton who was a manic City fan and scored and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. When she scored her eyes were bulging and it meant the world and a lot of our girls were City fans. It meant the world to beat them.”

Lesley Wright: “The first time we played United in a competitive game there was about 150 there. They were a really strong team. Better than us at the time and they’d been established a lot longer.”

Rita Howard: “Despite being a United fan I loved playing as City Ladies against United. I absolutely loved it. Even though I’m a United fan I never contemplated joining them because the support from City, even when it waned a little, was far superior to anything United got. At best they’d get a kit and then it was ‘on your way.’ I know our closeness to City came from that beginning with Neil. His enthusiasm got us the kit, the tracksuits, the minibus…. All sorts of things. I know that wasn’t happening at United and at that time I don’t think any club connected in any way to a Football League side were as close as we were then. I think we got a lot more recognition from the beginning and that has carried on to today. Look at what City have done.”

Jane Morley: “I’m a season ticket holder at Manchester United but I was a manager at City Ladies. One day I’d been with City at a tournament and then went straight to Old Trafford for a men’s game. I was sat there when the bloke next to me – who I didn’t know – said ‘what you doing with that on!’ I realised I still had my City jacket on. I had to explain to him that I managed City Ladies.”

Bev Harrop was a Manchester United fan playing for City: “I had a United shirt underneath my City shirt! (laughs) Most of the time.  Not later on, I grew out of it eventually, but at first, I did.”

Jane Morley: “It angers me when people say that Manchester United now have their first women’s team. As with City when the relaunch happened that implies the stuff we did for the club years before doesn’t count. I played for United in the 70s and 80s before a few of us broke away to set up FC Redstar. We left United because we wanted to test ourselves. We had some great players and wanted to progress but those who ran United wanted to stay in a Manchester League and not join the North West League. So we broke away in 1985 and formed FC Redstar.

“Many of the teams we know today as WSL clubs are actually men’s clubs that have taken over established women’s clubs. Teams like Leasowe Pacific became Everton. I have to bite my lip sometimes when some clubs claim they created a women’s team… no, you took and rebranded a team. There were quite a few big teams around the time City Ladies started such as Broadoak with Tracey Wheeldon.” 

These snippets are from my book on Manchester City’s women’s team. Copies (signed by me) can be ordered here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/shop/

For more on the book on the Manchester Corinthians (who started in 1949) see:

Manchester Corinthians’ Latest

If you’d like to read more on women’s football in Manchester then take a look at: 

https://gjfootballarchive.com/category/womens-football-2

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If you would like to read all the in-depth articles on this site (including the entire Manchester A Football History book) then please subscribe. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Each subscriber gets full access to the 500+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.

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Manchester Corinthians Interview and Feature

I’ve been delighted with some of the media coverage on the research into the history of Manchester Corinthians recently. Yesterday Manchester City posted a website story on the club and the research while earlier this month I was interviewed for Tameside Radio too. You can listen to that interview here (it starts about 35 minutes into the programme):

https://player.autopod.xyz/539975

Thanks to Lewis Connell for doing this and interviewing me. For those who missed it here’s the article that was on the City website:

https://www.mancity.com/news/womens/gary-james-manchester-corinthians-history-63846547

If you’re interested in finding out more on the Corinthians then why not subscribe to Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History. Here’s the latest information on the book:

  • Dozens of interviews have been performed for the book and include women who played in the club’s first ever game in the 1940s and others who played in the last ever game, over forty years later. It’s a wonderful period of football history.
  • Voices from every season of the club’s existence have been captured. There are some truly remarkable stories gathered in interviews performed across the country. These wonderful women have provided their memories of every period of the club’s development. Every season is covered.
  • Myths, including some connected with the formation of the club, persist and still get promoted. For the first time, this Authorised History will highlight the key steps and people involved with the formation of the club, dispelling myths and properly acknowledging those who ensured the team had a life.
  • Over 300 players have been identified as playing for the Corinthians to date. These women come from every era of the club’s existence (but the search continues for other names – please get in touch: Gary@GJFootballArchive.com). Every player identified will be listed within the book.
  • The book will tell the story via the voices of those involved from beginning to end (and beyond!), backed up with detailed archival research.
  • The Manchester Corinthians’ tours across the globe will be featured extensively within the book, while the key managers (especially the club’s manager and guiding figure from 1949 until his death in 1967, Percy Ashley) and other personalities will be profiled.
  • Hundreds of games have been identified with official – and unofficial – match reports adding flavour and supporting the words of the women who played.
  • Rare objects, cuttings, match programmes, trophies and more have been located for this book, with many of the players lending their collections to help ensure this is a wonderful record of the club’s full life.
  • Every person ordering the book before publication will not only have the book posted to them before it appears in any shop, but they will also have their name (or another name of their choosing) published within a special roll of honour at the back of the book.
  • The book will consist of over 320 pages and will include hundreds of images from every era of the Corinthians, alongside the story of the club and its players.
  • As with Gary’s book on Manchester City Women this book is destined to be a landmark history on a true Manchester institution and pioneering football club. In some ways this new Corinthians’ history will be a prequel to the City Women book.
  • This book is being self funded by Gary and so every pre-publication order helps the research enormously. Thanks for your support. It is appreciated.

UK readers can subscribe to the book here (If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs):

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there

£19.95

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.

Here’s one of the TV reports that covered our plaque unveiling back in October. This is from ITV National News:

https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1710420337240813717/video/1

Here are a few words from a review of the Manchester City Women book the Corinthians will be based on (this is from a review by Fiona Cosson, for the Oral History Society):

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Manchester football historian Dr Gary James has been researching and writing about football for around forty years, with his first book published in 1989. By that time Gary was a regular at women’s football games in the region and already knew several Corinthians featured in the Corinthians’ book. His connections with the team go way back, in fact his sister was taught PE in the 1980s by a prominent player with the club, while his mum once told him about an older girl being brought to the front in her school assembly during the 1950s to talk about travelling abroad as a Manchester Corinthian.

Gary was on the steering committee for the National Football Museum project Unlocking the Hidden History of Women’s Football and was the Trafford lead for the UEFA/FA project on the history of women’s football for the Women’s Euros in 2022. He has performed various talks and written many significant articles on the Manchester Corinthians throughout the last six years. He established the campaign to create a blue plaque and other tributes for the women who played for the club, working tirelessly to ensure the Corinthians’ receive the accolades they so richly deserve.

Gary’s research and writing is recognised for his quality and depth, and he has written several landmark publications on Manchester football (both men’s and women’s), as well as being historical consultant with films, such as The Keeper, and TV (including researching and producing a 6 part TV series). Gary is the founder of the International Football History Conference and in 2023 was appointed Visiting Research Professor at New York University. He is also an Honorary Research Fellow at De Montfort University.

You can watch a one hour talk Gary did at the National Football Museum on the history of women’s football in the Manchester region here:

The cover is still in development but the two cover images are draft proposals which will be worked up further. If you’d like to purchase Gary James’ earlier book on Manchester City Women’s team then a limited number of copies, signed by me, are still available. You can order here:

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The 1990s: The First Women’s Manchester League Derby

The latest City in the 1990s flashback feature is about the women’s Manchester derby. This weekend marks the latest Manchester derby in the Women’s Super League and it will be played at the Etihad Stadium (City currently hold the record attendance for a women’s club game in Manchester – you can find details of that elsewhere on the website). There’s a long history of competition between teams representing the women of Manchester City and Manchester United.

City’s team has been in existence continually since November 1988 when Donna Haynes and Heidi Ward both scored two goals in their first game (v Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park).

I was at the City Ladies (as they were then known) first game and I was also at their first league derby in September 1990 when City defeated United 4-3. It was a fantastic day, watched by around 150 people.

City’s goals came from Rhoda Taylor (8 min), Rachel O’Shaughnessy (43 mins), Jenny Newton (50 mins) and Lesley Peters. City’s manager Neil Mather told me as part of my research for the Manchester City Women book: ‘United were the top side, you know, and beating them was so good for morale. The men’s team were a good side in the early 90s when City Ladies carried on developing, you know. This was the Howard Kendall era, and City had top five finishes. City were one of the top five or six teams in the country at the time, so it was fabulous for women’s football to have Man City, you know.’

Helen Hempenstall played for City that day and she described her memory of the day for my book: I remember when we played United (30/9/90) and Neil (Helen’s boyfriend, now husband) and all his mates came to watch us. There were a lot of people there that day. United had a decent team then. It was always a difficult game against United. They had a right-winger… We never got on. Every time we played each other we were at each other all the way through the game. Me and Carol Woodall were having a go at her. The referee told Lesley Wright “Tell both your full backs to shut their mouths otherwise they’ll both be off!” We just didn’t get along and before every game I thought I’ll get in their first. ‘I’m having her.’ Neil Mather still talks about it.

‘I think Lesley Wright kept the team together. She kept it all tight at the back. I played at the back with her and I learnt a lot from her. Because I was next to her I knew how important she was. If I missed something she always got it. She always encouraged me and kept shouting ‘different class, different class’. You learn from the people around you and I listened to her. Before every game she came to speak to me. She’d put her arm around me and reassure me. She’d tell me not to worry about anything. Most of the time travelling to away games I’d go with Lesley in the car. We used to have a laugh. I remember one day we were travelling to an away game some distance away and we stopped for petrol and all got out. I lit up a fag and everyone else jumped back in the car screaming! I didn’t even think! When we got to the ground they all told Neil Mather and I think he worried that he could’ve lost half his team. At another game I was sat in the middle and as we got out the person before me slammed the door back. It hit my head and I had a big lump for the game.’

Lesley Wright was one of several women who had first played for the pioneering Manchester Corinthians team. I’ve been researching their remarkable story for years and this summer (2024) my work will be published. It will tell the story of the Corinthians from its formation in 1949 through to its final days forty years later. For more information on that club and the book see:

Manchester Corinthians’ Latest

The story of the first women’s League derby and of the first 30 years or so of City Women’s existence can be read in my book on the club. It’s called Manchester City Women: An Oral History and is basically the women telling their stories of playing for the club and how they got into football, plus statistics covering the journey from friendlies in 1988-89 through to competition and the modern day successes.

You can buy the book via this link (every copy is signed by me):

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Manchester Corinthians’ Latest

Thanks to all those who have subscribed to Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History. It means a great deal. For those who haven’t or would like to know more on what the book will entail, here’s the latest information:

  • Dozens of interviews have been performed for the book and include women who played in the club’s first ever game in the 1940s and others who played in the last ever game, over forty years later. It’s a wonderful period of football history.
  • Voices from every season of the club’s existence have been captured. There are some truly remarkable stories gathered in interviews performed across the country. These wonderful women have provided their memories of every period of the club’s development. Every season is covered.
  • Myths, including some connected with the formation of the club, persist and still get promoted. For the first time, this Authorised History will highlight the key steps and people involved with the formation of the club, dispelling myths and properly acknowledging those who ensured the team had a life.
  • Over 300 players have been identified as playing for the Corinthians to date. These women come from every era of the club’s existence (but the search continues for other names – please get in touch: Gary@GJFootballArchive.com). Every player identified will be listed within the book.
  • The book will tell the story via the voices of those involved from beginning to end (and beyond!), backed up with detailed archival research.
  • The Manchester Corinthians’ tours across the globe will be featured extensively within the book, while the key managers (especially the club’s manager and guiding figure from 1949 until his death in 1967, Percy Ashley) and other personalities will be profiled.
  • Hundreds of games have been identified with official – and unofficial – match reports adding flavour and supporting the words of the women who played.
  • Rare objects, cuttings, match programmes, trophies and more have been located for this book, with many of the players lending their collections to help ensure this is a wonderful record of the club’s full life.
  • Every person ordering the book before publication will not only have the book posted to them before it appears in any shop, but they will also have their name (or another name of their choosing) published within a special roll of honour at the back of the book.
  • The book will consist of over 320 pages and will include hundreds of images from every era of the Corinthians, alongside the story of the club and its players.
  • As with Gary’s book on Manchester City Women this book is destined to be a landmark history on a true Manchester institution and pioneering football club. In some ways this new Corinthians’ history will be a prequel to the City Women book.
  • This book is being self funded by Gary and so every pre-publication order helps the research enormously. Thanks for your support. It is appreciated.

UK readers can subscribe to the book here (If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs):

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there

£19.95

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.

Here’s one of the TV reports that covered our plaque unveiling back in October. This is from ITV National News:

https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1710420337240813717/video/1

Here are a few words from a review of the Manchester City Women book the Corinthians will be based on (this is from a review by Fiona Cosson, for the Oral History Society):

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Manchester football historian Dr Gary James has been researching and writing about football for around forty years, with his first book published in 1989. By that time Gary was a regular at women’s football games in the region and already knew several Corinthians featured in the Corinthians’ book. His connections with the team go way back, in fact his sister was taught PE in the 1980s by a prominent player with the club, while his mum once told him about an older girl being brought to the front in her school assembly during the 1950s to talk about travelling abroad as a Manchester Corinthian.

Gary was on the steering committee for the National Football Museum project Unlocking the Hidden History of Women’s Football and was the Trafford lead for the UEFA/FA project on the history of women’s football for the Women’s Euros in 2022. He has performed various talks and written many significant articles on the Manchester Corinthians throughout the last six years. He established the campaign to create a blue plaque and other tributes for the women who played for the club, working tirelessly to ensure the Corinthians’ receive the accolades they so richly deserve.

Gary’s research and writing is recognised for his quality and depth, and he has written several landmark publications on Manchester football (both men’s and women’s), as well as being historical consultant with films, such as The Keeper, and TV (including researching and producing a 6 part TV series). Gary is the founder of the International Football History Conference and in 2023 was appointed Visiting Research Professor at New York University. He is also an Honorary Research Fellow at De Montfort University.

You can watch a one hour talk Gary did at the National Football Museum on the history of women’s football in the Manchester region here:

The cover is still in development but the two cover images are draft proposals which will be worked up further. If you’d like to purchase Gary James’ earlier book on Manchester City Women’s team then a limited number of copies, signed by me, are still available. You can order here:

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#IWD: Women’s Football Interviews and Videos

If you’re interested in women’s football or in football in Trafford or Manchester here are some video interviews we did as part of the work on the #WEuro2022 Heritage Lottery funded project for Trafford. These interviews are with women who played for Manchester Corinthians, Manchester City, Manchester United, FC Redstar, & Macclesfield:

We start with Jan Lyons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHkt5rGOJ5E

Now Gail Robertson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TO4nnHtp-U&feature=emb_logo

Next Lesley Wright:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPgjj84gHfw&feature=emb_imp_woyt

Finally, Jane Morley:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbzsOIpO7I&feature=emb_imp_woyt

Here’s an interesting clip of the Corinthians playing in 1960:

https://bbcrewind.co.uk/asset/60bf2dbfc69ade0020ef3021?q=ladies%20football%20international%201972u0026amp%3Bsize%3D30

Margaret Shepherd and Margaret Whitworth were also filmed as part of the wider project (they were interviewed by Wigan & Leigh). Here they are:

Margaret Whitworth actually appears on this BBC clip from 1960 playing:

https://bbcrewind.co.uk/asset/60bf2dbfc69ade0020ef3021?q=ladies%20football%20international%201972&size=30

Also, here’s my talk explaining about the history of women’s football:

This talk on the history of women’s football was staged at the National Football Museum on 1st July as part of my work on a consultancy basis with Trafford local archives. The talk lasts about 47 mins. Enjoy!

There will be a video of the panel discussion mentioned in this talk that will appear as a part 2 later. Maybe next week?

The Trafford Archive website I mention during my talk is available here:

https://exploringtraffordsheritage.omeka.net/exhibits/show/traffordwomensfootball

On International Women’s Day… Ask Your Mam or Nan if She Was a Footballer…

Let’s all learn more about the sporting activities of our mums and grans this International Women’s Day. I’ve been researching into the pioneering women who played for Manchester Corinthians and its sister clubs for years and years and their stories are quite remarkable. BUT some of them had previously kept quiet because of reactions they may have had or assumed others were simply not interested in their incredible exploits. 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! I have had players talk to me during my years of research into the Corinthians who had kept it quiet from their own families, so 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.

As well as asking your mam or your nan, how about helping the book get published by subscribing to it? You will get a copy of the book (posted 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 31st March 2024 here:

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there

£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 31st March 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 summer.

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 founder 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

I’m still keen to hear from any former player who can add their voices to the history of the club, though the research and writing stage will be ending soon, so please get in touch as soon as possible. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com with your name, rough dates you played and contact details.

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 1949 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:

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On World Book Day… Help the Authorised History of the Manchester Corinthians Get Published

Why not use World Book Day to help get the story of a pioneering women’s football club published once and for all? For years I’ve been researching the incredible Manchester Corinthians. Why? It matters to me personally for a variety of reasons and I’ve been trying to ensure these incredible women get the recognition they deserve for years. We managed to get a blue plaque and other tributes erected last year and now, after dozens of interviews, years of research and a lot of time and effort, the authorised history of the Manchester Corinthians will be published this summer.

You can help by ordering the book now (before publication). Every pre-publication order helps enormously and buyers will get their name included in a special roll of honour published within the book if ordered by 31st March 2024 here:

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there

£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 31st March 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 summer.

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 founder 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.

I’m still keen to hear from any former player who can add their voices to the history of the club, though the research and writing stage will be ending soon, so please get in touch as soon as possible. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com with your name, rough dates you played and contact details.

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 1949 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 here:

Shop