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Clare Balding's fascinating exposé When Football Banned Women was a real eye opening documentary that looked at a time when females playing football was something to be celebrated and hugely popular - until it was banned.

The Football Association's decision 100 years ago to outlaw women from playing came about because they deemed it “quite unsuitable for ladies” and stated that the “jerky kicking and hard knocks are bad for future mothers”.

The ban, which lasted half a century, came soon after the end of the Great War and at a time of considerable civil unrest. Women’s football was seen as a radical shake-up of the status quo, and having large gatherings of working class people to watch the games simply wouldn’t stand.

No longer allowed to play on FA-affiliated grounds, women’s matches were demoted from proper stadiums where they had attracted crowds of up to 60,000, to parks, dog-tracks or borstals. A century later, women’s football has yet to fully recover but there are plenty of positive signs.

Globally, women’s football is gaining momentum, with 30 million girls and women playing football regularly worldwide and 2.2million viewers tuned in to watch England v Scotland in the Euro Women's 2017 clash on 19th July.

Just days earlier the FA announced plans to open eight High Performance Football Centres based at universities across England in a bid to double participation and fan numbers of the women’s game by 2020.

The FA's move followed hot on the heels of a ground-breaking sponsorship initiative that has seen Avon Products Inc confirmed as the Principal Partner of Liverpool Ladies Football Club - the first time the women's team have had an independent shirt sponsor to that of its male counterpart.

Stephen Rendu, Director of Beauty and Advertising for Avon, said: “We are really pleased to see that women’s football is being brought to the forefront of the news agenda, it’s a sport and an issue that we care passionately about.

"As Clare Balding’s show When Football Banned Women highlighted, the obstacles that women have faced in the past, and continue to face today are not acceptable.

“It is an incredibly important subject and we are proud to be leading by example as the first female-focused brand to sponsor a FA Women’s Super League Club, heralding a new dawn in women’s football and marking the first time the team have had a separate partner to that of its male counterpart.

"We still have a long way to go but are excited about the journey we are taking with Liverpool Ladies FC as we work together to combat stereotypes, and empower and inspire women all over the country.” 

If you missed Channel 4's fascinating documentary it is available to watch online here for a limited period.

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