MEMORIES OF FORMER FOOTBALLERS - THE GIRLS BRIGADE OF COURSE - COURTESY OF STERLING

Currently, we are still awash with the wonderful success of our Lionesses and hopefully I will be interviewing one or two over the next few months.  

For many years, I've been interested in the history of women's football and now there are numerous books and articles on this topic. I've discovered that in the UK at the time of the Great War, there were more than 150 women's football teams linked to large firms and organisations.   

In England, the first recorded game of football between women took place in 1895. A documented European team was founded by activist Nettie Honeyball in England in 1894. It was named the British Ladies' Football Club. In one of my books I've mentioned a little about the football clubs belonging to large companies in Essex. One, in particular was started in the Sterling Works at Dagenham. Here we have the famous team in 1917 and more information can be found in East-side Community Heritage website. 

1894 was also the year that our very own Society of Women Journalists (later including 'writers') was founded (by a wonderful gentleman Joseph Snell Wood, then MD of The Gentlewoman Magazine. The whole story can be read at www.swwj.co.uk.   More information can be found in East-side Community Heritage website which is a brilliant place to learn about Barking & Dagenham history (and my book BARKING & DAGENHAM FROM OLD PHOTOGRAPHS published by Amberley Press/