In
1905 the football legend Lily Parr was born. Some readers will be frowning;
they’ve never heard of Lily Parr, so how can she be a football legend?
Ah, but that’s exactly why Lily’s story is so fascinating!
Lily Parr was the fourth child of a hardworking family, living in the industrial outskirts of the city of Liverpool. The gas-lit, smoggy streets running between rows of back-to-back housing, were where this small girl decided she much preferred a kick about with her brothers to household pastimes. The older boys soon stopped laughing at little Lily when they saw the strength of her kick, speed and skill.
When
World War 1 began in 1914, Lily was nine years old. Britain needed every
available man to defend Europe from invasion by the Germans. Men and boys
signed up to join the army in their thousands, but it wasn’t enough, and soon
it was compulsory for young fit men to go away to fight.
The
normal pattern of life turned on its head.
With huge numbers of men at war, the women and girls now worked in the
factories making the ammunition needed by the army. They played football in
their breaks, and soon began playing matches against other factories.
Crowds flocked to watch matches played for wartime charities, and the quality of the ladies football game grew. With so many men at war, women’s football surged in popularity with matches every weekend.
When the war ended in 1918, the men began to take their factory jobs back from the women, who were expected to return to their roles in the home. But ladies football had become a very popular sport in its own right. Some of the teams had legions of adoring fans.
By 1919, aged just 14, Lily Parr was nearly 6 foot tall, strong and fit. Her football skills had not gone unnoticed. She was playing for a local ladies team, when she was talent spotted by the best team in the country, Dick Kerr Ladies, based at the factory of the same name. Offered a factory job, a family to board with, and a chance to play for money, her concerned parents are forced to agree. Lily loved football and this was her big chance.
In
Lily’s first season with Dick Kerr Ladies, she scored 43 goals. By 1920 her
skills were being noticed by a wider audience and she was considered a star.
Lily Parr Scores! is published by Big Cat for Little Wandle Fluency.
Lindsay Galvin is the author of Darwin's Dragons, My Friend the Octopus and The Call of the Titanic. After working for over 20 years as a teacher, Lindsay is now a full-time writer. To find out more visit lindsaygalvin.com/
