Tag Archives: Droylsden

Manchester Corinthians, Droylsden Ladies & Benfica Ladies

I had an enjoyable afternoon today talking to a Ladies Guild meeting in Audenshaw about women’s football history. I focused on the Corinthians but spent quite a bit of time explaining about a couple of Tameside clubs (Droylsden & Benfica) from the 1950s. Like the Corinthians one of these toured overseas in the 1950s and I have interviews from women who played for that club too (in addition to the 50+ Corinthians I’ve interviewed and the dozens of others who have played for clubs across Greater Manchester). It was wonderful to share these stories with a group of women who were keen to hear all about them. The talk had been set up some time ago after a similar event in Droylsden almost two years ago.

Thanks to all the women who attended and asked such wonderful questions too. Obviously, we discussed the recognition the Corinthians have received from Manchester and the footballing authorities (the Blue Plaque for example). I was also asked about the book and was delighted to highlight that a revised and updated edition of Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History will be published this year.

As with the first edition this book will be non-profit. Also, anyone ordering a copy now will get their name published in the book as a supporter of the project. Copies can be ordered now (see below). This promises to build further on the original book, viewed as a landmark publication. Income from the book will continue to be used to promote these remarkable women; stage events for them and capture their stories for posterity. Over fifty Corinthians were interviewed for the first edition and others have been found and interviewed for this updated version. This includes additional Corinthians from the 1940s, adding to the three founding Corinthians interviewed for the first edition. Their voices are so important to the story of this remarkable club.

I’m determined to ensure all Corinthians are remembered so please also get in touch if you’re a Corinthian who may have slipped through the net somehow.

Order before 1 July 2026 and you will get your name published within a special roll of honour within the book and it will be sent out to all subscribers on publication at the start of October 2026. This will be before it appears in any shop. Sadly, due to postage costs the book can only be posted to UK addresses. You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button below and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.

UK ONLY – one copy of Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History 2nd edition (paperback)

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This is for one paperback book at £19.95 ()incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£19.95

Opportunities to buy multiple copies, sponsor the book or donate exist too. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com for more information on those opportunities. For those wishing to order ten copies then a special panel will be included within the book thanking you for supporting the Corinthians’ project & book, plus you’ll get ten copies for the discounted total of £150 (including UK deliver).

UK ONLY – Ten copies of Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History 2nd edition (paperback)

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This is for ten paperback books at £150 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.

£150.00

Note: the cover is currently being redesigned and is likely to be different to the ones shown here.

For more on the Corinthians see:

One Year On: The Manchester Corinthians Reunion

The Origins Of Manchester City: The 1850s

Starting here: the story of Manchester City’s origins, beginning with the 1850s. This was many years before association football clubs were in existence in East Manchester but steps were taken in the 1850s that would ultimately lead to the establishment of teams in West Gorton. Below is a 1000+ word article on that period and the first part of a series looking at Manchester City’s origins prior to 1890.

Already there are seasonal articles on every season from 1890-91 (Ardwick) through to 2009-10 and now, throughout February, I’ll be adding the history of the Club prior to 1890. I’ll be telling via a series of articles the story of key individuals/origins/moments that contributed to the establishment of a football club. The series starts below with the first feature on the 1850s.

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These articles will be available to subscribers to this site. It costs £3 per month (cancel any time) or sign up for a year for the discounted price of £20 per year (works out about £1.67 a month to access every article on this site). To date in excess of 1,500 articles/features have been posted including interviews, talks and more.

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Corinthians’ Talk

On Wednesday there was a great gathering at Droylsden for the latest talk on the Manchester Corinthians. I’d like to thank everyone who came and it was so great to see a few former players & their families at the talk. I’ve been doing talks on the Corinthians since about 2017 and have always enjoyed the reaction from audiences. Sometimes I’ve talked in the UK about them and sometimes in North America but where ever I’ve discussed their story the interest has always been high. Thanks.

Photo from @MCWFC_OSC

As well as revealing new information about the club (facts not fiction) I also gave some further information on the book. This has been delayed due to family events but will be out before the end of the year. There’s still chance to subscribe to the book. See:

Order: Manchester Corinthians Book
Photo by @CityOnACard1

Talk at Droylsden on Wednesday

Doing anything on Wednesday? Fancy coming along to Droylsden Library to hear me talk about the Manchester Corinthians? See image for details.

More on the Corinthians here:

https://gjfootballarchive.com/category/manchester-corinthians/

Trophy Success for Droylsden in Glasgow

This weekend Droylsden Town over 50s women’s walking football team won at the Glasgow Life tournament. In fact, in a highly competitive tournament that had teams from across Britain, Droylsden had entered two teams in the 6-a-side competition. The draw kept them apart during the group stages, but both teams managed to win their groups, which meant they also missed each other in the knock out stage.

Ultimately, they both won through to the final that meant that the Over 50s final, played close to Hampden Park at the Toryglen football centre, was an all Droylsden final.

A tense final saw the teams evenly matched, with the game ending 2-2. A penalty shootout was needed to determine the winners.

The trophy was presented by legendary Scottish footballer (and World Cup winner) Rose Reilly. Members of the two Droylsden teams have played competitive 11-a-side football at the highest levels possible earlier in their careers for a variety of prominent clubs including Manchester City, Manchester United, Manchester Corinthians, Doncaster Belles, Brontë, Cleveland Spartans and many more, including a Women’s FA Cup finalist.

Congratulations to Droylsden on your success and on bringing further honour to Manchester’s sporting life.

Here are a few of Droylsden’s goals from the competition. The first is a well worked team goal:

https://gjfootballarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/img_5273.mov

This is the first equalising goal in the final for the eventual winners:

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Here’s a great goal from Lesley Wright:

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