The No Game For Girls historic ladies football match takes its title from a quote made by the Football Association in December 1921. The governing body effectively banned women's football on all league grounds at a time when ladies football was immensely popular all over the country. The F.A. believed football was not conducive to the general well-being of women and may affect their ability to have children. An official statement was released to this effect which ended with the words: "This is no game for girls".
During World War One Coventry became a hot-spot for ladies football. Thousands of women were employed in manufacturing munitions within the city's immense engineering empire. They worked long hours in difficult conditions and had to endure food and accommodation shortages. Yet they still found time to play "The Beautiful Game". Every match raised vital funds for the benefit of injured soldiers and sailors. Six factories formed teams, these being: Coventry Chain, White & Poppe, Daimler, Humber, Rudge-Whitworth and Coventry Ordnance. Such was their popularity that an official Coventry Ladies Challenge Cup competition was introduced, the finals of which took place at Coventry City's Highfield Road ground in 1917 and 1918.
The first ladies match during this time was on 3 March 1917 and staged at the Butts Ground in Spon End. It is for this reason why that same venue has been chosen to hold the commemorative game. Humber and Rudge-Whitworth emerged as the two top sides and competed in both finals of the Challenge Cup. After the Great War some ladies continued playing which eventually led to the formation of Coventry City Ladies F.C. in 1921.
This truly is a unique match which is being filmed for a documentary. Let's give those pioneering women footballers the recognition they deserve and pay our respects to the memory of all those service personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice a hundred years ago.
