Women’s football in South Yorkshire has seen a resurgence in recent years, with many clubs reaping the rewards of the 2022 Euros. But, nothing quite beats the boom of the early 20th century, playing in front of 20,000+ crowds at Hillsborough Stadium.
In England, women’s football was banned from 1921 onwards, prohibiting the use of FA affiliated pitches, something which was in place for 50 years until 1971.
This significantly halted the progress made in the women’s game, putting a halt to a fast-growing sport that had taken the country by storm.
South Yorkshire was a leading area for women’s football, hosting several games that boasted five-figure crowds, unsurprisingly because Sheffield is the home of football.
There was one figure who was instrumental in this pivotal time for women’s football, and that is Constance Waller – who led her own team out as captain in front of a 20,000+ crowd at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium.
South Yorkshire women’s football pioneer Constance Waller played a crucial role in expanding the game
One of the leading voices of the women’s game in South Yorkshire was Constance Waller, who grew up in Nether Green and attended Ranmoor Council School. Research done by FURD shows that she was the captain of Atalanta Ladies Sports Club, a team who she founded in 1920.
The club turned towards netball, having been unable to secure a pitch, but, according to research conducted by DonMouth, “those who wanted to learn to play football later could kick it about among themselves to get into the way of kicking a ball, until it was possible to get a football coach.”
According to match reports written at the time, Waller, playing for Atalanta was often found on the left flank, showing ferocity in tackling and having a brilliant pass as well.
Before playing informally as “golds” vs “blues”, Atalanta played its first competitive game on the 25th March 1921. Less than two months later, they would play at Hillsborough Stadium in front of over 20,000 spectators, an incredible feat considering their struggles to find a pitch just a year prior.
Waller forming a club and then taking them back to her stomping ground in front of a bumper crowd showed that she did an incredible amount for women’s football at the time.
Her aim was “to provide games for the women of Huddersfield, to foster a sporting spirit, and love of honour among its members,” but this also translated into South Yorkshire, driving in huge crowds until the untimely ban in 1921.
