THE ELFA AND JEANNIE

The English Ladies' Football Association (ELFA) was formed in 1921 and remained active until  December 1922. It was arguably a direct response to the Football Association (FA)’s ban on women's football teams at that time. Despite being more popular than some men's football (one match saw a 53,000 strong crowd), women's football in England was halted, when The FA outlawed the playing of the game on Association members' pitches, the FA stating that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged." 

The first meeting of the ELFA was held several weeks after the ban and Leonard Bridgett, the manager and coach of Stoke Ladies, was its first president. Bridgett helped to organise the first and only English Ladies Football Association Challenge Cup competition in the spring of 1922. 24 teams entered the competition and the winners were Stoke Ladies, who beat Doncaster and Bentley Ladies 3–1 on 24 June 1922.

The ELFA folded in over a year, and women continued to play in local parks and even dog-tracks, with no money or infrastructural support from the Football Association, no resources, coaches or pitches. These restrictions stayed in place for fifty years and was only lifted in 1971.

Women's football had already been established before World War I but it had not been well received until the Football League suspended all of its matches after the 1914–15 season. As a generation of young men signed up to serve their country, the women took on traditional male roles, which had been previously considered unsuitable for women and their physical frame. The most familiar image was the munitions factory girl, who enjoys kickabouts during their breaks. As the war progressed, women's football transformed into a more formalised sport with many women's teams emerging from munitions factories. At the time, it was organised for fund-raising for war charities. At first, people flock to see the so-called munitionettes take on teams of injured soldiers and women from other factories. Eventually, they started to enjoy the matches for the skill and ability of the women players. In August 1917, the Munitionettes' Cup was established, with the first winners being Blyth Spartans.

However, when the war was over, the factories started closing and women who had been liberated during wartime was forced to return to their "right and proper place" in society. No longer seen as being moral and appropriate, football was now considered to be unladylike and dangerous for women's health by so-called medical experts and physicians. On 5 December 1921, the FA cited strong opinions about football's unsuitability for females. They even requested the clubs belonging to the Association to refuse the use of their grounds for woman's matches. In response, on 10 December 1921, a meeting was held in Liverpool. It was attended by representatives of about 30 women's football teams. The meeting resulted in the establishment of the English Ladies Football Association (ELFA), with a league of 57 teams of amateur players. The ELFA's goals were to support women footballers, popularise the game amongst women and assist charity. One of the first teams to declare their intention of joining was Chorley Ladies FC, who had 60 members and who had raised over £3,000 for charity.

W. Henley was appointed as Secretary of the Association's pro team. He was assigned to set up another meeting in Liverpool for which about 60 clubs were expected to be present. The meeting actually took place in Blackburn on 17 December with representatives attending from 57 clubs, and expressions of interest were sent by many others unable to be present. After a long discussion, some changes in the rules were accepted to accommodate women players, including: Size of playing field will be altered. Introduction of a lighter ball. Eliminating charging. Use of hands will be allowed to protect face. 

A member of the original 1972 Lionesses believes they deserve an apology from the Football Association for failing to award them official caps and forgetting about them for 50 years. 

In interviews with those who played in England’s first official women’s game 50 years ago revealed how they felt hurt that their exploits had been forgotten by the FA and were angry that they had never received official caps like their male counterparts. Most of the team were instead given replica caps handmade by Flo Bilton, an officer at the Women’s Football Association. But Jeannie Allott (below), a winger in the team, told that she was given only a white plastic football bag to carry their boots. “Can you imagine Bobby Charlton getting that?” she said. 

Allott was 16 years old when she made her England debut in the inaugural game against Scotland in November 1972. She was from Crewe and did not have the money to pay for travel to London for matches and training and recalls hitchhiking the journey. She once slept at Waterloo Station when she was unable to hitch a ride home.

“I got in a lorry, a milk cart, anything that was going down to London,” Allott, 66, said. “The things we do for the England team.“That’s why it’s frustrating. What we went through to get women’s football where it is today. Nothing that happened in the past should be forgotten but the FA forgot us. We want a cap and I believe we deserve an apology. “We didn’t have equal rights in those days. It was a shame. Some in the FA didn’t agree with ladies football. It was a man’s world.” Allott appeared in Sports Illustrated when she was eight years old, the only girl playing for Wistaston Green Primary School. 

She went on to play for Fodens, a women’s team created by the lorry manufacturing plant Foden Trucks in nearby Sandbach, and won the Women’s FA Cup in 1974. When she was 17, Allott moved to the Netherlands and played for several teams including alongside current England women’s manager Sarina Wiegman for KFC. Allott played on the left and Wiegman on the right. “She was a very good footballer,” Allott said. “She’s like Glenn Hoddle. She had the technique and the brains. She’s done a lot for ladies football.” 

Allott even switched allegiance to play for the Netherlands, scoring eight times in 12 games. “I felt more appreciated there,” she said. “They paid for everyone’s travel costs, no matter where you lived.” She had offers to play professionally in Germany but decided to stay in Holland, where she has lived and worked as a shipping planner ever since.