Plaque planned to mark first England international

A heritage blue plaque is set to be unveiled, marking the site of the first home match involving the England women's football team.

The team beat Scotland 8-0 at Nuneaton's Manor Park pitch in 1973.

The event is part of celebrations marking a "landmark milestone" when the Lionesses play their 500th international match against Iceland on Saturday, said the Football Association.

Members of the squad who played in the 1973 match, including goalscorer Pat Mitchell-Firth, will be in attendance, it said.

Aged 16, she scored England Women's first ever hat-trick in front of a crowd of 1,308 at the Warwickshire game.

The player went on to represent England in 11 matches, scoring nine goals, but was forced to retire from the game aged 21 after a cartilage injury.

The meeting with Scotland on 23 June was one of the "cornerstone moments" in the team's history, said the FA.

The team were given home-made caps but were finally recognised as original Lionesses in 2023 when the FA issued official caps to all past and present players.

The two sides had already met in the reverse fixture in Greenock in November 1972, England winning 3-2 at Ravenscraig Park.

The FA banned women's football in 1921 - a time when the women's game was attracting crowds of 53,000 - saying "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged".

It was nearly 50 years later when the FA rescinded that ban, in 1971, following the formation of the Women's Football Association (WFA) a couple of years earlier.

A week of celebrations will begin at game 499, the World Cup qualifier with Spain at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.

More than 50 former Lionesses from across the decades will be in attendance and will form a guard of honour as both teams walk out onto the pitch, said the FA.

England captain Leah Williamson said: "As we reach the 500th game it feels more important than ever to honour every former Lioness and those who had to play in the shadows prior.

"We are the lucky ones, we get to play with opportunities they could only dream of," she added.

"The trailblazers who played with passion and determination broke boundaries and built the foundations we stand on today."

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