First Women Football Internationalists 1881

Dates: 
1881

The first women’s international match, played by teams representing Scotland and England, took place on 7th May 1881. The match was played at Hibernian Football Ground, then situated in the area where Hibernian Football Supporters Club is currently located at Sunnyside in Edinburgh.

The Scottish team's football kit consisted of blue jerseys, white knickerbockers, red stocking and belts, boots with high heels.

The result of the match was a 3-0 win to Scotland with Lily St Clair scoring first and Louise Cole, Isa Stevenson and Emma Wright involved in the others.

The unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the teams at Hibernian Football Supporters Club was attended by Rod Petrie, President of the SFA, Joelle Murray (Girls and Ladies Academy Manager), Ken MacPherson, Shelly Kerr (National Women’s Team Head Coach), Tommy Sheppard MP, Amanda Jones, Amy Mcneese-Mechan and Crawford Corrigan of HSA -and Joe Fitzpatrick MSP, Minister for Health, Sport and Wellbeing who unveiled the plaque.

The Football Association banned women's football in 1921, deemed “quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged” and it took many decades after this for football to be accepted as a woman's sport.

Images: 
Illustration of the first women's football international, Scotland v England in Edinburgh
Sources
Hibs to commemorate first ever international women's football match
Edinburgh Evening News