A PARK that was home to St Helens women’s football stars 100 years ago will see a blue commemorative plaque unveiled.

During the First World War women’s football gained popularity and the St Helens Ladies grew from local munition and glass worker teams such as Sutton Bond and Rainhill Munitions, becoming a formidable force in a golden era of women’s football.

The St Helens Ladies were captained by inspirational goalkeeper Edith Waine, and featured remarkable players such as Lydia Ackers, Susie Chorley, Lizzie Ashcroft, and Alice Woods.

However, in December 1921, the Football Association banned women from playing on their grounds “football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not be encouraged.”

However, despite this, the fighting spirit of could not be diminished and teams continued to play on local parks and open ground.

On Saturday, March 31, 1923 St Helens Ladies Amateur Football Club bowed out in style by thrashing the world’s greatest women’s football team, the Dick Kerr’s Ladies 5-1, on Queens Park in St Helens.

The Dick Kerr’s Ladies team included footballing trailblazer Lily Parr, from St Helens.

She was the first woman inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame and has a statue at The National Football Museum.

The blue plaque at the park entrance will acknowledge the St Helens Ladies squad from 1919 to 1923 and will celebrate "the women of this pioneering football team played on during the Football Association's 1921 ban".

Steve Bolton, grandson of Lizzy Ashcroft who played for St Helens, is due to be present at the unveiling today.

Lizzy would go on to play for Dick Kerr Ladies just a matter of days after the 5-1 defeat, where she went on to have a 13-year career with the greatest women’s team in history.

Ahead of the event, Steve said: “The plaque is to remember the second greatest women’s football team of the Golden Era of Women’s Football (WW1 to infamous Dec 1921 English FA 50 Year ban), St Helen’s Ladies AFC.

“The plaque is being unveiled on the very site where 100 years ago in their final game and at the 20th attempt they beat the legendary Dick Kerr Ladies and Lily Parr by 5 goals to 1.

“My Granny, Lizzy Ashcroft was part of the team that day and, along with two other players, joined the DKL 10 days later.

“Lizzy was vice captain to Lily Parr in 1933 and 1934 and took over the captaincy from Lily in 1935 when she took a 2 year break from football.

“My granny then led only the second ever tour to France by the Dick Kerr Ladies in their 48 year existence.

“She made her debut in April 1921 for St Helens at St Andrews (Birmingham City Ground) in front of a crowd of 30,000 at the tender age of 16.

Lizzy made her own debut for Dick Kerr Ladies just a matter of days after the 5-1 thrashing, where she went on to have a 13-year career with the greatest women’s team in history.

The plaque will be unveiled today with Steve attending, along with Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston and council leader Anthony Burns.

Blue plaques celebrate an area’s links with notable figures of the past and help to celebrate local heritage.

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