Fifty years after Southampton Ladies’ triumph, their captain reflects on a watershed moment in the game’s history
Lesley Lloyd played
Football not merely for fun but for freedom. “It was about fighting for what we believed was right,” she says. “I’m proud of what we did.” Lloyd is reflecting on the events of 50 years ago when, as captain of Southampton Ladies, she led her team to victory in the first Women’s FA Cup final. That 4-1 triumph over Scotland’s Stewarton Thistle at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in May 1971 was much more than just another match; it marked a watershed moment in the game’s history.
On 5 December 1921 the English Football Association had declared the game to be “quite unsuitable for females” before barring
Women from playing on grounds belonging to affiliated men’s clubs. With its Scottish, Welsh and Northern
Irish counterparts swiftly following suit, the ban stood for half a century and was not lifted until 1970 when the dawn of enlightenment coincided with the start of a slow-burn revolution; not to mention one of the highlights of Lloyd’s life.