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Women’s football is going through boom times in England at present, with a glittering future in the offing.

But what about the past?

It’s every bit as extraordinary, laced with pioneers, incredible women, giants on whose shoulders the present day players and coaches stand. Women who started, then perpetuated, the grassroots movement that culminated in a packed Wembley Stadium last November and the promise of many more to come.

As women's football grows at a pace, it’s important that those who brought it to this point are not forgotten, their stories left untold, their remarkable contribution to the nation’s vibrant sporting heritage ignored. These women deserve better and their story should be told now and preserved for future generations.

Working alongside The FA, the EWFA will celebrate those women and memorialise them, creating a living archive that will be their legacy so that this game will never forget where it came from.

For the first time, history isn’t restricted by the size of a book or the cost of a TV series. The infinite inventory of the internet gives us limitless scope to create an archive that tells the whole story, from parks pitch to Wembley Stadium. That’s the mission of the England Women’s Football Archive.

1. The oral archive – interviews with players, administrators, fans, officials from throughout history, first hand sources, saved for perpetuity.

2. The virtual museum - brief films featuring memorabilia, be it shirts, medals, pennants, boots, souvenirs from tours, that help tell the story.

3. National team database - details of all England games, team line ups, images & memorabilia, match programme if available, written match report, scripted audio match report. Wikipedia style pages for all players.

4. Secondary sources - drawing on existing material in newspapers, TV, radio, these will further bolster the ability to tell the full story of women’s football, right from the earliest days.

Born digital, this is a brand new archive, starting from first principles, existing online. Free access to everything, from everywhere, irrespective of geography, physical health or the ability to travel.

This is the future of the past. The England Women's Football Archive would love to talk to you, hear your stories so that they can be preserved for future generations and have your memorabilia photographed.

Please email Dave Bowler via dave.bowler@ewfa.org.uk to find out more or get involved.

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