On this day (29 April) in 1952 the earliest known use of the name Nomads for the Manchester Corinthians’ second team occurred. Years later founding manager Percy Ashley would say the Nomads was founded in 1957 (and many repeat this) but he had established a second team way back in 1949. They originally went under a different name (you can find out all about this in my new book) but occasionally he used the name Nomads during the early 1950s too! You can find out more on the clubs’ various second teams and names, plus the rest of 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.
On this day (1 April) in 1892 at Bolton the pioneering football manager Percy Ashley was born. Ashley was the founding manager for the Manchester Corinthians pioneering women’s football team. My research for Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History has documented, for the first time, Percy’s life, achievements and corrected many myths that are out there about him and the team. You can now find out the facts (not the fiction!) about this incredible man and the team in 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.
On this day (20 March) in 1970 the 21st anniversary celebration of the Manchester Corinthians was held at the Southern Hotel, Mauldeth Road. Gladys Aikin organised the event and she had originally hoped to find a room for the celebration on the date (5 January) founding manager Percy Ashley used most as the formation date. Percy actually frequently got the date wrong (don’t believe any 1949 date you may read elsewhere!). My research for Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History suggests the club had been training earlier than January 1949. Regardless of the actual date, celebrating 21 years of this pioneering women’s team was important. 1970 (for reasons I go into detail about in the book) saw the club and women’s football come of age in a way that Percy and the others involved at the start had always hoped.
I was delighted when, in December last year, I was able to get around 90 people (the majority former players) together for a 75th anniversary reunion at the Etihad Stadium.
You can now find out the facts (not the fiction!) about this incredible team in 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.
I’ll be on BBC Radio Manchester tonight at 630pm talking about the pioneering Manchester Corinthians. I’m sure you’ve all heard me explain about the Corinthians book I’ve written. 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.
I told you the Manchester Corinthians would get some further media coverage and here’s the latest. It’s a wonderfully produced video filmed at the Corinthians reunion last month. For details of the video and to watch it see:
If you’ve issues watching the video there (youtube may ask you to sign in) you can also watch it here (click on the ‘Watch on Youtube’, bottom left if your link doesn’t work):
I’d like to say my heartfelt thanks to all at Imprint Films for doing this. In the spirit of Percy Ashley himself, they have funded the production of this video themselves and have the desire to see the Corinthians story spread widely. This is, of course, something I totally believe in myself. We need to spread this story and let the entire world know about the Corinthians.
Please share the video and, while you’re at it, spread the news about the book too. Both are self funded and we need help to spread the word.
Over the coming weeks and months. I’ll be talking at some events about them and some of the players will be guests at a key football game coming soon. There will also be articles and, hopefully, further book reviews. I know a certain online retailer is suggesting it takes months to receive the book but if you do want to order it I can sign copies and get them sent out same day.
The book consists of 356 pages. It is illustrated throughout and you can order it below for £25 (including UK postage and packaging).
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.
Tomorrow will be a wonderful day as we celebrate the Manchester Corinthians. Expected to be the largest gathering of former players ever, Corinthians from every era will be in attendance as we celebrate the club’s history and recognise their achievements. I’ve been wanting to organise this reunion/celebration event for some time and this will be a remarkable gathering. The afternoon will be a real joy.
Over the last decade I’ve been tracking down women who played for the club from its formation season in 1948-49 to its final days over forty years later. I’ve personally known some of the women for almost forty years and, of course, have been determined to promote their stories for years. I’ve managed to interview women from EVERY season of the club’s existence. I’ve wanted to spread the word and that’s certainly happened in recent years.
Last Monday one of the long held aims (to get recognition from football for the Corinthians) was achieved when the club was awarded a Special Recognition Awards at the North West Football Awards (see elsewhere on this site for that story). Tomorrow, that recognition will be shared with every player in attendance.
A series of articles and talks were part of a process to get formal recognition of their achievements – that culminated in the successful blue plaque campaign – alongside researching and writing the club’s first authorised history. That book will be published soon, but before then there’s the reunion/celebration, plus other recognition in the pipeline.
The Manchester Corinthians book draft cover V2Margaret Whitworth with the Manchester Corinthians blue plaqueWashing in the duck pond, Manchester Corinthians by Artist Gavin RenshawManchester Corinthians mural by artist Gavin RenshawSome of the Friends of Fog Lane Park at the last meeting before the Corinthians plaque unveilingPercy Ashley, the guiding force behind the Manchester Corinthians
I’m delighted to say that I’ve managed to organise a reunion/celebration event for the women who played for the Manchester Corinthians. It looks like over forty former players, covering every era of the club’s existence, will be present. This is remarkable and the afternoon will be a real joy.
Over the last decade I’ve been tracking down women who played for the club from its formation season in 1948-49 to its final days over forty years later. I’ve personally known some of the women for almost forty years and, of course, have been determined to promote their stories for years. I’ve managed to interview women from EVERY season of the club’s existence.
A series of articles and talks were part of a process to get formal recognition of their achievements – that culminated in the successful blue plaque campaign – alongside researching and writing the club’s first authorised history. That book will be published soon, but before then there’s the reunion/celebration, plus other recognition in the pipeline.
The Manchester Corinthians book draft cover V2Margaret Whitworth with the Manchester Corinthians blue plaqueWashing in the duck pond, Manchester Corinthians by Artist Gavin RenshawManchester Corinthians mural by artist Gavin RenshawSome of the Friends of Fog Lane Park at the last meeting before the Corinthians plaque unveilingPercy Ashley, the guiding force behind the Manchester Corinthians
On this day (15 October) in 1967 Percy Ashley, the man who guided Manchester Corinthians for its first couple of decades died. Percy was a pioneering figure in women’s football and took his teams (he created multiple teams) to Europe, North & South America and Africa during a remarkable period when the FA banned women from competing on FA grounds (and anyone involved with an FA affiliated club from getting involved in women’s football too!).
Percy’s own story is remarkable and will be included within Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History which will be published before the end of this year. You can find out more about that here:
Research into the pioneering women who played for Manchester Corinthians and its sister clubs is ongoing for the authorised history which will be published this summer. So far over 230 players have been identified for the club and their names will be included within the book. BUT I don’t want to leave anybody out so if you know of someone who played for the team or its sister clubs that I may have missed then please get in touch.
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 but just hasn’t talked about it!
I really don’t want to leave anybody out.
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 here:
Manchester City Women: An Oral History book
The first history of Manchester City’s women’s team, taking the story of the club from formation in 1988 until 2019-20 season.
£16.95 including UK postage (outside UK contact for additional postage costs)
You can help the authorised history of the Manchester Corinthians get published by subscribing now. You will get your 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:
Manchester City Women: An Oral History book
The first history of Manchester City’s women’s team, taking the story of the club from formation in 1988 until 2019-20 season.
£16.95 including UK postage (outside UK contact for additional postage costs)
Gary James' Football Archive 