This film is part of Free
Enfield F.C. v. Ediswan Factory
Difficult times for women's football, but it doesn't stop the battle of the lightbulb makers in North London.
Overview
In 1921 the Football Association declared that football was "quite unsuitable for females". Try telling that to the ladies (and the diverse crowd) in this match up between employees of Britain's two big lightbulb-making firms. The Edison and Swan Electric Light Company - 'Ediswan' - had works at Ponders End near Enfield, making this a home tie against their competitors, Osram, who were based in Hammersmith.
The FA's statement and their ban on women's games on their members' pitches led directly to the establishment of the English Ladies' Football Association in 1922. Ediswan and Osram ladies played in the first round of the organisation's inaugural cup competition, with a 3-1 win for Ediswan putting them through to the second round. As that game took place on 11 March, it would seem from the foliage on the trees and the clothes of the spectators that it's a different match seen here - probably a meeting that took place a year earlier.
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