'Unsuitable for Females': The Rise of the Lionesses and Women's Football in England

by Carrie Dunn Narrated by Melanie Crawley

Overview

'At what feels like a pivotal moment, Carrie's forensic research and depth of knowledge make her the perfect person to guide us through the constantly changing landscape of women's football' - Kelly Cates, TV presenter

England's Lionesses are on the front and back pages; their stars feature on prime-time television; they are named in the national honours lists for their contribution to their sport and to society. The names of Lucy Bronze, Steph Houghton and Ellen White are emblazoned across the backs of children's replica jerseys. These women are top athletes - and top celebrities. But in 1921, the Football Association introduced a ban on women's football, pronouncing the sport 'quite unsuitable for females'.

That ban would last for half a century - but despite official prohibition the women's game went underground. From the Dick, Kerr Ladies touring the world to the Lost Lionesses who played at the unsanctioned Women's World Cup in Mexico in 1971, generations of women defied the restrictions and laid the foundations for today's Lionesses - so much so that in 2018 England's Women's Super League became the first fully professional league in Europe...when just a few decades previously women were forbidden to play the sport in England at all.

This book tells the story of women's football in England since its 19th-century inception through pen portraits of its trailblazers. The game might have once been banned because of its popularity - find out about the subversive women who kept organising their teams and matches despite the prohibition, who broke barriers and set records - the legends of the game who built the foundations of the stage upon which today's stars flourish.

Editorial Reviews

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The name of this book is taken from the reason given by the Football Association when it banned women from playing football in 1921. Carrie Dunn gives you a detailed look at that era in time and paints portraits of the trailblazers who built the foundations for today’s game'

Tim Stillman

Unsuitable for Females is far more than just a history book ... [it] is a triumph of storytelling and skilfully fills in some of those historical gaps from the sport that have remained unexplored for too long'

Trisha Goddard

A fantastic, really interesting history'

Mirror Sport

One of the leading voices in women's football'

Adrian Durham

Carrie Dunn's passion for her subject is there on every page. A brilliantly researched and important book'

Breakfast Show BBC CWR (Coventry and Warwickshire)

A great book ... a remarkable story'

Colin Murray

Carrie Dunn is someone with a real 360-view on women's football'

Off the Ball - Stuart Cosgrove

This book shows how women's football had to fight for its presence. It's extremely well written'

Kelly Cates

"At what feels like a pivotal moment, Carrie’s forensic research and depth of knowledge make her the perfect person to guide us through the constantly changing landscape of women’s football."

Ricky Hill

I've worked with Carrie and I know 'Unsuitable for Females' will be an insightful, enlightening, witty, and thought-provoking read'

Lynsey Hooper

Carrie is my go-to for anything concerning The Lionesses. She’s always got an anecdote or insight I’ve never heard or considered before. Impeccably researched, I implore you to read Unsuitable for Females from cover to cover'

Jo Swinson

Carrie Dunn is an inspiration - she has been championing women in football for many years, through her research, teaching and journalism. Those recent converts to the joy of the women's game will find Carrie's work on the Lionesses' history gives rich context to this success'

Waterstones Online

Recounting the troubled, shocking but ultimately immensely inspirational story of the women's game in England, Dunn's riveting book tells of the courageous female players who defied the half-century ban on women's football and the glorious rise of the Lionesses'

The Athletic - Carl Anka

"One of the most talented and considered minds working in women’s football today."

BBC Radio 5 - Nicky Campbell

Just incredible ... it’s so interesting'

The Guardian

Her passion and erudition seep through every syllable'

Guillem Balague

It now feels extraordinary how invisible women have been in the history of sport - gaps that are starting to fill like in the insightful work of Carrie Dunn's Unsuitable for Females. She does great job recreating the past, taking us to the present and raising questions. More of that please!'

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159271211
Publisher:	Clipper Audiobooks
Publication date:	04/06/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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