Book review: This book "is about how a whole new generation of girls and young women, inspired by the heroics of the England men's team in the 1966 World Cup, refused to be denied access to the people's game any longer and began literally kicking against tradition." That tradition being the infamous 1921 FA ban on women players playing on FA pitches, the ban only being reversed in 1970, and the culture at the time ("I was very aware that in wider society it was not considered to be a very suitable game for girls").
In particular the book is about Wendy Owen, a player for the very first England team. She covers her formative years, about how she liked Leeds United as a child, how she went to Craven Cottage and Wembley to see matches. Then it goes into her playing career with particular focus on her Thame Ladies and England days. This section includes a handful of scans/photos of programme covers/line-ups for big games and a letter confirming her selection for England, all very historical items now.
Then her coaching career is covered as she coached girls/women (and boys/men) in the USA, including working for Tampa Bay Rowdies in the NASL heyday, and in England ("It was great to be able to offer the kind of opportunities to female players and coaches that had not been available to me in my early career in football").
The rest of the book covers her assessment of the game over the years. Things like media coverage, how women's football compares across the eras and across the oceans, and what the future (to 2005 when this book was published) might hold. All from the viewpoint of "an ex-England international, coach to a university college women's football team, an FA coach educator and a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science".
The book is therefore part history of the women's game (for a period where information is scarce) and part comment on it, but for someone with an interest in the sport it will be a good read.
Amazon UK link: KICKING AGAINST TRADITION
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