St Helens WFC, 1977.
Copyright: National Football Museum
As England prepares to host the UEFA Women’s EUROs this summer, a National Lottery funded project will tell the stories of the country's female pioneers of the game.
Page last updated: 10 June 2022.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £500,000 to the ‘UEFA Women's EURO 2022 – Women's Football Heritage’ project, led by Rotherham Council and Milton Keynes Council in partnership with the Football Association (FA).
Unheard voices
For the first time, information about every England player, captain, goal scorer and match score since 1972 will be researched and recorded. It will be shared alongside the information that already exists about men’s football.
Hosted on the FA’s England Football website, the record will continue to be updated, ensuring future female players in England are part of the wider footballing story. The project will particularly explore the role of the LGBTQ+ community in women’s football.
We’re delighted to support this project, which will give fans and players the chance to celebrate the history of women’s football and communities the chance to discover their connections to the game.
- Eilish McGuinness, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund
In a year which also marks 141 years since the women’s England team first played competitively, the project will challenge the perception of football being ‘new’ for women and improve how the sport is understood.
Dick, Kerr Ladies, formed in Preston, 1917. Copyright: National Football Museum
Summer of celebration
An exciting summer of celebrations, exhibitions, memory films, oral histories and community activities is being held across the nine UEFA Women’s EURO host cities: Brighton & Hove, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Trafford and Wigan & Leigh.
Venues include Brighton Museum, Sheffield Winter Gardens, National Football Museum and Wembley Park. The stories and objects will shine a light on the experiences of women footballers that have never been told.
Eilish McGuinness, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the hidden history and unheard voices of women’s football will be shared for the first time, capturing the full story of the beloved sport.
“We’re delighted to support this project which will give fans and players the chance to celebrate the history of women’s football and communities the chance to discover their connections to the game.”
Sharing sporting heritage
National Lottery funding has helped projects share the heritage and unheard voices of many sports across the UK. Recent examples include:
The Pinnacle Club's first meeting in 1921The Pinnacle Club Centenary Project – marking 100 years since the Pinnacle Club was set to support women climbers in the UK.
