England once banned women from playing football for fifty years
Following a surge in popularity during the First World War, female players were suddenly branded 'unsuitable' and locked out of professional stadiums for decades.
On Boxing Day in 1920, more than 53,000 fans crowded into Liverpool's Goodison Park to watch a women's match, leaving thousands more disappointed outside. Fearing this popularity threatened the men's game, the Football Association issued a formal ban in 1921, claiming the sport was physically dangerous for women. This restriction lasted for fifty years, forcing elite athletes to play on bumpy park fields without referees or funding.
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