Category Archives: Women’s Football

Women’s Football in Manchester

The history of women’s football in Manchester deserves to be properly recorded. This week I’m presenting at the International Football History conference in Belfast on the teams and communities of women’s footballers that existed in Manchester during the 1950s. People often assume there’s either no women’s football in the city back then or there are one, maybe two teams. My research is identifying that there are many more teams than that and that the community of women playing football in Manchester during the 50s was significantly greater than most believe.

Over the last decade I’ve been interviewing women who played football in Manchester, or for Manchester based teams, during the 1940s to modern years. This includes Maureen Charlton, Dorothy Allcock and Flo Cloake (who played in the 1940s & 50s) and players like Steph Houghton, Karen Bardsley and Jill Scott (who of course played in more recent times). For me the stories of all are inspiring. Many women from Manchester, or based in Manchester, played prominent roles in football’s development during the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. Some who played decades ago are still contributing significantly today.

To date I’ve published two books and written many articles, chapters and features for a variety of publications on Manchester’s women’s teams. The latest of these is the book on the Manchester Corinthians. I’m absolutely delighted with this from Matt Williams, a longlist judge for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2025 award. He has posted the following video about the Manchester Corinthians book as his ‘What are we reading this week?’ post on social media. It really does please me and demonstrates why I’ve been so keen to get the Corinthians story out there.

For those interested Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and consists of 356 pages. Getting it into Manchester bookshops, particularly Waterstones, is proving difficult so if there’s anyone reading this who can help please get in touch. We can organise events if that helps?

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far to promote the Corinthians and their stories. But we need to bang the drum for all Manchester’s clubs, so please do all you can to spread the word.

I’ll let everyone know more about the other teams, the presentation at the conference and more later. For now… the Corinthians book is illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging). I’ll sign all copies ordered direct from me below.

If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.

You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.

UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in late December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£25.00

Unofficial England European Success

My latest article on women’s football has been published. This one looks back to 1957 when a Manchester club (chosen by Bert Trautmann to play) represented England in a European Cup in Germany. The article has been posted by Manchester City. You can access it via this link:

https://www.mancity.com/news/womens/euro-2025-manchester-s-unofficial-england-european-success-63884809

Manchester Corinthians Resources and Spreading the Word

Some of you are aware of my obsession to document and promote the history of women’s football in Manchester over the last decade, but for those uncertain I’d like to post a few links and bits of information here on the remarkable stories of the Manchester Corinthians who, before the men’s teams of City & United, found international success.

  • Some of the Friends of Fog Lane Park at the last meeting before the Corinthians plaque unveiling
  • Dorothy Alcock, Manchester Corinthian from formation in 1949
  • Margaret Whitworth with the Manchester Corinthians blue plaque
  • Washing in the duck pond, Manchester Corinthians by Artist Gavin Renshaw
  • Some of the trophies won by the Manchester Corinthians

Over the last decade I’ve been interviewing women who played football in Manchester, or for Manchester based teams, during the 1940s to modern years. This includes Maureen Charlton, Dorothy Allcock and Flo Cloake (who played in the 1940s & 50s) and players like Steph Houghton, Karen Bardsley and Jill Scott (who of course played in more recent times). For me the stories of all are inspiring but it is those who played for the Corinthians that I’m most keen to promote at the moment. These women played prominent roles in football’s development and some are still contributing significantly today.

In 2021 the blue plaque appeal was launched to recognise the Corinthians and elsewhere on my site you can read about the success of that and the unveiling in 2023. In addition in December 2024 I staged a reunion where over 90 attended (most Corinthians with some in their 90s). You can watch scenes from that here:

I gave a speech explaining why the Corinthians matter that day:

There were some wonderful words from Margaret Shepherd which I am truly grateful for. Margaret has been one of the key figures promoting the club’s endeavours and she certainly inspired me during my research:

We’ve also inspired Imprint Films to put together this 18 minute overview of the Corinthians’ story, including interviews with some of the players:

https://www.imprintfilms.co.uk/oh-what-a-team

Of course there is the book too and I’m absolutely delighted with this from Matt Williams, a longlist judge for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2025 award. He has posted the following video about the Manchester Corinthians book as his ‘What are we reading this week?’ post on social media. It really does please me and demonstrates why I’ve been so keen to get the Corinthians story out there.

For those interested Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and consists of 356 pages. Getting it into Manchester bookshops, particularly Waterstones, is proving difficult so if there’s anyone reading this who can help please get in touch. We can organise events if that helps?

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far to promote the Corinthians and their stories. We still need to bang the drum so please do all you can to spread the word on this remarkable team. If you need more info then there’s lots on this website, just search Corinthians. There’s also the book of course….

The book is illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging). I’ll sign all copies ordered direct from me below.

If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.

You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.

UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in late December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£25.00

Ten Years On

Ten years ago this month I was awarded my PhD. It’s been a remarkable decade since. there were two areas I wanted to make significant progress in during the time that followed. One was the establishment of an annual conference where those researching the history of football (of all codes) could meet and share ideas in a positive and supportive environment. the other was to perform detailed research into the history of women’s football in Manchester.

Both aims have been met with the establishment of the International Football History Conference and the setting up of a self funded project into women’s football. The next football conference is in Belfast next month and the women’s football history project has seen two books, a booklet, a chapter and lots of articles published.

I’ll be posting features on both soon. Thanks to all who have helped with these initiatives.

Women’s FA Cup

It’s the Women’s FA Cup final today (Chelsea v Manchester United). If you’re interested in reading content about women’s football then there are plenty of articles on my website that may be of interest. Listed below are links to all those tagged ‘women’s football’ including a piece on the original Man Utd women’s team.

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

The piece on United’s original women’s team:

Women’s FA Cup Final: The Original Manchester United Ladies

Corinthians Book Praise

I’m absolutely delighted with this from Matt Williams, a longlist judge for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2025 award. He has posted the following video about the Manchester Corinthians book as his ‘What are we reading this week?’ post on social media. It really does please me and demonstrates why I’ve been so keen to get the Corinthians story out there.

My new book, Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History, is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and consists of 356 pages.

It is illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging). I’ll sign all copies ordered direct from me below.

If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.

You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.

UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in late December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£25.00

William Hill Sports Book of the Year Comments

I’m really pleased with these comments from the William Hill Sports Book of the Year people about my research and book on the Manchester Corinthians:

Thanks to all those involved. Let’s keep spreading the word about the Manchester Corinthians. If you’re interested in reading about the club there are plenty of articles on here, plus here are details about the book:

Manchester Corinthians

Manchester City Women to take part in World Sevens

  • Manchester City Women will compete in the inaugural World Sevens Football tournament in Portugal this month.
  • City are the latest top-flight team announced to take part, completing the line-up alongside FC Rosengard (Sweden), Paris Saint Germain (France), Roma (Italy), Benfica (Portugal), Bayern Munich (Germany), Manchester United (England) and Ajax (Netherlands).
  • The tournament will take place from May 21 to 23 at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota in Estoril.

Manchester City Women will travel to Portugal this month to compete in the first-ever World Sevens Football (W7F) tournament.

Taking place at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra in Estoril, Portugal from 21 May to 23 May, City join seven other top-flight teams in the seven-a-side competition.

Beginning with a two-day group phase, a knockout stage and final will then determine the first-ever W7F champion on the third day of competition.

It means City could play up to five 30-minute games depending on progress, with the full line-up of eight teams confirmed as FC Rosengard, Paris Saint Germain, Roma, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Benfica and Manchester United.

Interim head coach Nick Cushing will lead a side made up from the first team playing squad, giving a blend of international experience and youth talent a chance to shine on a new stage.

Manchester City Women Director of Football, Therese Sjogran, said: “The tournament is an exciting new competition for the women’s game, and, as a Club that continually looks to blaze the trail, we are proud to be part of this milestone moment from the beginning.

“We look forward to bringing our players to Portugal.”

Adrian Jacob, Head of Football, W7F, added: “With these final four teams, we’ve assembled a line-up that reflects some of the very best of women’s football clubs renowned for their ambition, skill, and global fanbases.

“The W7F tournament will deliver a new kind of football: fast, fearless, and packed with world-class talent. Fans can expect every match to be a showcase of innovation and intensity. We can’t wait to see these teams light up Estoril and inspire the next generation of players and supporters.”

Kelley O’Hara, W7F Player Advisory Council member, continued: “It is so exciting to finally announce the final four teams joining our inaugural World Sevens Football tournament, kicking off in just a few short weeks.

“These top-tier clubs are setting the tone for what’s to come, and I can’t wait to see their players take the pitch for what promises to be really supercharged and competitive football. Having them on board is a huge statement and the best part is we’re just getting started!”

Corinthians in Lisbon 1957

On this day (5 May) in 1957 the Manchester Corinthians and their sister team the Nomads played out a 3-3 draw at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, before a crowd reported as 60,000 by some. This photo shows action from that game with Veronica Bailey on the ball, watched by Mary Bee and under pressure from Barbara Tooth. Two of the three women mentioned have been interviewed for my new book. Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History. It is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and consists of 356 pages.

It is illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging). I’ll sign all copies ordered direct from me below.

If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.

You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.

UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in late December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£25.00

Photos From The Corinthians at United-City

A small group of Manchester Corinthians were invited to attend the WSL Manchester Derby today at Old Trafford. They were taken pitchside and also had seats in the Directors Box. Players from the 50s to 90s were there, such as Margaret Whitworth, who participated in major trophy winning successes for the club in Venezuela and France. Others, like Wendy Crossland, had been significant players during the club’s first league successes – back when the Corinthians became champions of the highest league available to them. Here are a few photos from the day, plus images of the match programme article:

You can discover more on the Corinthians’ history (the facts not the fiction!) in my new book. Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History. It is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and consists of 356 pages.

It is illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging). I’ll sign all copies ordered direct from me below.

If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.

You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.

UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in late December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£25.00

Some photos from when a group of Corinthians visited LFC’s Melwood a few days ago: