Yet despite the war effort from women everywhere and the enduring popularity of the women’s football matches that had followed, just around the momentous time in history when the first women were given the vote in the United Kingdom with more to soon be allowed that basic democratic right, the Football Association blew the whistle on the female game.



As incredible as it seems now in the way it appeared to go against the zeitgeist, they banned women from playing on the grounds of all their affiliated clubs, citing complaints that had been made to them about football played by women, and stating that the FA Council felt impelled to express their strong opinion that the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged.



They also cast aspersions on how much of the money raised was actually going to charity. It would be a long time before women’s football was seen at Stamford Bridge again, and indeed in any of the nation’s major stadiums.



England’s World Cup win in 1966 is thought to have got the ball rolling again, inspiring women to challenge the ban and in 1971, after 50 years in place, it was rescinded.



In 1972 Harry Batt, secretary of Chiltern Valley women’s club, predicted, ‘Women’s football will prove so popular that in 10 years clubs such as Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United and Leeds will be running women’s teams,’ and indeed, one of the new pioneer clubs was a Chelsea Ladies side.

