St Helens' Lizzy Ashcroft has a place women’s football history

At the forefront of one of those spiralling peaks is much closer to home than you may think. One hundred years ago, St Helens Ladies FC were widely regarded as the second-best team in the world, as part of a heyday period for the game.

One of the key members of that side was Lizzy Ashcroft, lifelong friends with women’s football legend and scorer of 900 career goals Lily Parr. Together, along with the rest of their Saints side, they became trailblazers for the women’s game.

“Women’s football was very popular – 1921 was the golden year. Everyone talks about Dick Kerr Ladies [the best team at the time], but you can’t play football on your own you need decent opposition don’t you?” said Steve Bolton, women’s football historian and writer, as well as the grandson of Ashcroft.

St Helens Ladies, formed in 1919 from the various St Helens munitionettes sides, quickly grew in popularity and regularly attracted crowds of 10,000 and even once a reported 53,000 against Dick Kerr’s Ladies at Everton’s Goodison Park.

1933 Friends mucking around (Top to bottom)

Lizzy Ashcroft, friend, Andree Gaukler, Margaret Thornborough, Lily Parr

Ashcroft made her debut in April 1921 as a 16-year-old for a side that Bolton will continue to spread the name of, as it feels “very, very special” to be able to keep his grandma’s name running.

Bolton labelled her “tough as olds boots”, and that was instilled through a tough upbringing in St Helens.

“She was a fullback – a defender. In Gail Newsham’s book she’s described as ‘the best defender since Alice Kell. And Alice Kell was like the original star, captain, Beckenbauer type figure. A respected defender.

“She was very tall for her age, she was 5’8ft which was the same height as Lily Parr [contrary to reports that she was 6’0ft].”

Bolton continued: “I knew she played football, but I didn’t know any more detail than that. It was only when I read Gail Newsham book and coincidentally went into my uncle’s garage loft and found three suitcases – out of the first suitcase popped 200 photos and it had been sat there for 35 years.”

In suitcase number three, Bolton found the medal from her debut – a treasured part of his family heritage. Buttons and a newspaper article from that very game with her name in also accompanied that, and that article can be found in the National Football Museum too.

“It’s been quite an emotional journey. Fond memories of her,” he added.

Ashcroft was a regular in St Helens’ 26 or 27 games in 1921, and in August of that year, Dick Kerr Ladies took them on a three-game tour to the Isle of Man. They did lose all their games, but this was not a bad feat for a team of teenage girls against superstars in their own right.

During their peak, they also formed a rivalry with Stoke Ladies – the team Ashcroft deputised against – and often won well-contested games.

St Helens Ladies successes was soon to be halted though. The FA banned women’s football in 1921 from taking place on grounds used by its members clubs, leaving many teams groundless, though some teams continued regardless.

“At the end of the 1921 season in May, we talk about 30 Teams. By the time of the ban in December, halfway through the next season, we’re talking about 150 women’s teams,” Bolton said.

Famous sportswomen Margaret Thornborough, Carmen Pomies and Lizzy Ashcroft pictured in 1934

“On the other hand, I don’t think there would have been a continued linear expansion.

“How sustainable and robust those teams were is open to question and study, but The FA had an uncontrollable monster taking place as far as they were concerned on their pitches.

“[The FA thought] It was somebody else’s problem, we’ll find two excuses; it damages their bodies, and there is lots of dodgy money floating around with no evidence, but we’ll use that to ban it.

“What really, really upsets me and still some redress, is that was started into a concerted attempt to strangle women’s football for virtually the next 50 years. It enfranchised the misogyny, it really did. It became something far more than I think it was intended to.”

During the ban, in 1923, Ashcroft moved to Dick Kerr’s Ladies and from there they became world champions and British champions, as manager Alfred Frankland lauded them. Ashcroft was made full captain of the side in 1935 [taking over from Lily Parr].

Bolton continued: “Straight after the Second World War they reaffirmed the ban. And it was a proper nasty ban.

Medals from April 20, 1921 and for playing against Belgium in 1934 at the Royal Lancashire Show in Bolton

“If you were a male coach or a referee and you helped out with a women’s team, they censored you, fined you and threatened you with expulsion and other countries followed suit in various times in various ways become the English FA was looked up to. It had an incredibly vicious effect.

“The shame is that all the women’s footballers of today, of 10 years ago they’ve all had to be pioneers because of this tragic decision in 1921.”

It does remain a case of what could have been, given how women’s football was on an up.

Nevertheless, St Helens still had one of the world’s best teams at the time to shout about – which is something to be proud of.