‘Football’s coming home’ was belted out across Wembley – and much of England – after the whistle was blown at the end of England v Germany’s Euros 2022 historical final.
The 2-1 win, which saw the Lionesses crowned the champions of Europe, put women’s football at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
While huge crowds cheered for the likes of Chloe Kelly, Georgia Stanway and Alessia Russo, another generation of Lionesses watched on with pride.
Jeannie Allott, Janet Clark, Maggie Pearce and Lyn Hale grew up in the shadow of the 50-year ban on professional women’s football.
From 1921 to 1971, the game had been deemed ‘quite unsuitable’ for females.
When the ban was lifted in 1971, women from up and down the country went from kickabouts in the streets to playing for club and country.
But they didn’t enjoy the same support as players today.
‘We could only imagine the kit and facilities the teams have today,’ Janet, 68, tells Metro.co.uk in a call with Jeannie, Morag and Lyn.
‘Jeannie used to hitchhike to games. Our parents weren’t that well off, but my mum would still find money together to get me on a train to London or wherever.’
The ‘72 Lionesses didn’t play for money – the majority of players had day jobs – but were inspired by their pure love of the game.
Janet had grown up playing football with her three brothers on a Sunday morning, often leaving her caked in mud.
After a kickabout, her brothers would distract their mother to let her dash upstairs to take a bath.
Janet made it through the trials into Eric Worthington’s original England squad in 1972, and was branded by The Sun as ‘the Nobby Stiles of ladies’ soccer’.
She adds: ‘I had no holidays left at the first training I went to and told my boss I couldn’t go. He said “no, you’re going – I’ll clock you in and out for the week.’”
While Janet’s work and family were supportive, backlash was not uncommon for the ‘72 Lionesses.
‘You should be at home’ the players were told by jeering men. Others said they ‘should be wearing a pretty little dress’ instead of their England strips.
At one point, the entire squad was photographed for an article – but it was just their legs pictured in the paper with the question ‘Can You Guess The England Women Player By Their Legs?’
‘We learned to just focus,’ says Maggie, on not letting the outside world influence their performance as England players.
The 65-year-old adds: ‘When you walked on the pitch, you were football focused. You could have five people, 5,000 people around you – but all you could hear was teammates.
‘It was brilliant, I wouldn’t have changed the experience for the world.’
Jeannie, who was just 17 on her debut with England, echoes Morag.
‘We had a lot of barriers to break down, real barriers which no-one can imagine today, but it was fantastic,’ she recalls. ‘I never looked back and had a great youth.’
Jeannie, now 66, would later move to the Netherlands – where she still lives today – to further her football career.
She played alongside Dutch player Sarina Wiegman, and, even then, the quiet confidence of the woman who would become the future England coach was clear.
‘Sarina was a very good player. She used to play right half and was really technical,’ remembers Jeannie.
‘I take my hat off to her. She’s a quiet girl. You see her on the touchline and she’ll never rant or rage. Once the girls go on that field, it’s no use Sarina shouting at them. She gives the instruction before.’
When asked about the current crop of Lionesses, their predecessors are full of praise for the ‘great’ team devoid of any ‘cockiness.’
‘Lucy Bronze is like me’, Maggie quickly says.
‘Keira Walsh was a bit like me,’ muses Janet, while Lyn asks with a smile, ‘Can I be Beth Mead?’
For Jeannie, choosing a favourite within such a strong squad is no easy task.
‘They all got something, your good defender, your fast winger,’ she explains.
‘I don’t think there’s one that outshines the other. They play as a team. This generation [of Lionesses] have ideas, they know how it works.’
Seeing the rise of women’s football is bittersweet for Janet, Maggie, Lyn and Jeannie.
They’re immensely proud of what they achieved, but there’s a twinge of sadness that their work went unnoticed for so long.
However, a new wave of support from the National Lottery has helped the stories of the ‘72 Lionesses garner the respect they deserve.
Their names are listed on the official England website and, after a valiant campaign, all the players post-ban have had their caps officially recognised.
The group enjoyed a lap of honour when England took on the USA at Wembley last year, when the country was still gripped by a post-Euros frenzy.
‘When England did so well last year, my dad said “you know, you were just born 50 years too early”,’ says Janet.
‘And I said, I wasn’t, as if he hadn’t been my dad, I wouldn’t have achieved what I did. He’s always been so supportive.
‘He’s 93 and was able to come to Wembley and see me get my cap after so long.’
Today, the ‘72 Lionesses keep in contact over a Whatsapp group called ‘Party Animals 72’ and plan to meet up once a year.
They hope, as the rise of the women’s game continues, attention can be turned to both recognising the past and preserving the future.
‘It is unfortunate it took so long for us to be recognised,’ says Lyn, 68. ‘We were a little piece of history. Years ago, no-one even knew we played football. Only our close family. Sometimes workmates never even knew.
‘We had to muddle along [when we were playing football]. But now, thanks to funding from the National Lottery, communities and grassroots football is changing.
‘It’s become more visible on the television as well, which has made a huge difference.’
Future Lionesses won’t learn their craft in the same way as the original squad, Jeanne adds.
‘The streets can be dangerous at the moment, so sports facilities need to be up and running for these young girls,’ she explains.
‘We’ve got a long way to go – at the moment a lot of the trainers are volunteers – but we need to put in the money and show them the way.’
Janet adds that the National Lottery funding has ‘transformed’ the women’s game in her lifetime, and that England’s recent success wouldn’t have been possible without it.
‘It’s amazing what they’ve done for girls and the future of women’s football,’ she says.
Today, the ’72 Lionesses will join hundreds of fans at Boxpark Wembley, to watch as England begin their World Cup journey with a match against Haiti.
They’ve got special t-shirts made with their legacy numbers on the front and ‘1972 Lioness’ emblazoned on the back.
Below is the line ‘yes, we were the first’, if the message wasn’t clear.
Anyone who spots the ‘OG Lionesses’ in the wild is encouraged to say hello and ask more about their playing past.
For the former teammates, they hope their legacy can be left in lights.
‘We want people to know the real story, of what really happened, what we really went through, and it’s about time we were recognised,’ says Jeannie.
‘We won’t be forgotten.’
Metro.co.uk spoke with Morag, Janet, Lyn and Jeannie thanks to the National Lottery – which has invested more than £50 million into the women’s game in the last decade.
The National Lottery’s Women’s Euro Legacy New Team Grant now means £1million has been made available to set up new girls’ clubs or teams since the Euros win last summer.
So far, £200k has been issued to set up 170 new clubs / teams across the country.
Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk #TNLAthletes #MakeAmazingHappen
The Lionesses: take pride in our trailblazers
The England Women’s team of 1972 travelled across Europe as they took on opponents such as Sweden, Scotland and Italy.
Many had second jobs, but used annual leave to make games.
Read more about the ’72 Lionesses below:
Lyn Hale
Lyn Hale has a proud place in English footballing history as she was the second person to score for the England Women in their first official game in 1972.
When the FA finally lifted its 51-year ban on girls and women playing football, Hale was among those who went through regional and then national trials to be selected for the match against Scotland on 18 November 1972.
Described as a ‘flying winger with a cannonball shot’, she did not retire from playing until 40 years of age, then progressing to coach and manager of Southampton Women’s team.
Today, she lives in Southhampton.
Jeannie Allott
At just 15, Allott was one of a host of talented teenagers selected in England Women’s first official match against Scotland, which came after the FA’s 1921 ban on girls and women playing football was lifted.
Allott travelled from Crewe for the match, aged only 16. As she had no money for a train ticket or any other means of transport, she hitchhiked and stayed at the station all night in order to be available for the game.
At sixteen years and one day old she remains England’s youngest goal scorer.
She made her domestic football debut in a charity match for the British team Fodens, later moving to the Netherlands to play and even representing the Dutch at international level.
Today, she lives in Rotterdam.
Morag (Maggie) Pearce
Maggie made her England debut at 15 years old, the youngest selected for Eric Worthington’s inaugural Lionesses XI.
A talented fullback, she was the only player to start both England’s first ever match in 1972 and the UEFA Championship final 12 years later.
She also came back from having her first daughter to continue playing, achieving 40 caps for the national side.
Today, she lives in Southampton.
Janet Clark
Another pioneer of women’s football in England, and described as a midfield enforcer, Clark (nee Bagguley) made it through the trials into Eric Worthington’s original England squad in 1972.
After the trials, it had been a long wait for any news.
But, one day, her mum called Janet at work to say a letter had arrived at home.
She was asking ‘shall I open it’, and Janet replied ‘Yes’ and stood there until she heard Mum scream to the whole street ‘Yes, Yes you’re in the squad’.
Janet also played netball to a high standard, but football was her main talent as The Sun branded Clark: “the Nobby Stiles of ladies’ soccer”.
Today, she lives in Buxton, Derbyshire.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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