This book analyses women as spectators at men’s association football (soccer) in Britain from 1863 to 1939. The author shows that women have always been present at men’s football in Britain, a fact not always acknowledged in modern popular accounts of the game, albeit as a small minority in overall attendances.

Some women have always been ‘authentic’ fans of football, both knowledgeable and enthusiastic in their support, and this book will demonstrate that.