Women Between the Wars

Clare Balding discovers how working women finally got their sporting chance, through the leisure activities offered by many major employers, at the turn of the 20th Century.

The number of female workers in factories, large retailers and service industries was growing hugely and the employers decided to provide them with sports facilities and equipment. Clare visits Bournville, home of Cadbury's, who, like the Lyons company, famous for their tea shops, or Boots in Nottingham, gave access to all their employees to tennis courts, hockey fields, football pitches, lacrosse fields and athletics equipment. She talks to Fiona Skillen from the University of Central Lancashire about the women's football teams of that period, like the Dick, Kerr Ladies, that had the power to attract crowds of over 20,000 spectators but were later banned by the Football Association.

Readers, Jane Lawrence and Sean Baker
Producer: Lucy Lunt.