Another one is gracing our land; that is a life size statue of the great Lily Parr, sited outside the National Football Museum in Manchester. The statue, by Hannah Stewart, and sponsored by Mars, is the first featuring a Lady Footballer and coincides with the opening of the Womens' World Cup in France. It will stand in the "Players' Zone", among the great influences on Association Football-male and female.
Born in St Helens in 1905, at 14 years old and encouraged to play by her two brothers, she scored 34 goals for the local St Helens Ladies team.
A year later, in 1920, she joined the Dick, Kerr and Company Ladies team, made up from the work force of the local Locomotive Factory, which was making munitions at the time due to the war. Dick Kerrs' team represented England in the first Ladies' international against France in 1920, winning 4-0.
A 6' tall, chain smoker (not at 14!) she was sometimes "paid" in packets of Woodbines, as a reward for her efforts. She started out as a full back and was converted to left wing.
Lily was a nurse in a local psychiatric hospital and lived with her female partner, championing (even at that time) LGBT.
Here's some past stuff on our gallant lady footballers.
https://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/dickladies-and-co.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43139535
On Boxing Day, 1920 the Dick, Kerr Ladies played St Helen's Ladies at Goodison Park, attracting a crowd of 53,000. In 1921 the FA banned womens' football which remained outlawed officially until 1969. There has been a lot of progress since then.
In 1922 at the Olympics, she was part of the GB Relay team!
Lily Parr, played on until 1951 and in Preston died on May 24th 1978.
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