Before we had the Lionesses, we had The Corinthians Ladies FC, the globetrotting champions of women’s football that history forgot. Banned from playing the Beautiful Game by The FA – who declared it ‘quite unsuitable for females’ from 1921 to 1971 – these groundbreaking girls from Manchester defied the rules to win worldwide trophies.
The first women’s team to tour South America in 1960, they beat Germany to an unofficial European Cup in 1957, triumphed over Juventus to bag a cup in Europe in 1970, and have been named as ‘one of the most successful women’s teams the UK ever had’ by the National Football Museum. Yet their story has been all but forgotten.
Now, more than 70 years after their team was established, the team being dubbed ‘the original rebel girls of football’ will finally see their names in lights as The Corinthians: We Were The Champions, is released in cinemas following an award-winning film festival run.
This first feature-length documentary to reveal the team’s amazing real life David Vs Goliath story has been made by Manchester-based production company Films Not Words. Told exclusively by 10 surviving players, it features a soundtrack from Manchester punk act Loose Articles and never-seen-before archive.
The documentary will have its VIP Manchester Premiere at HOME on 26th February, where a post screening Q&A with the film’s director and surviving players who star in the film, will be hosted by football stalwart, Match of the Day presenter, Mark Chapman.
After a three-year campaign to get the film made, it is a huge moment for the Corinthians players and their families who have spent decades fighting for recognition. With the film’s first public screening date at HOME on March 5th selling out in a matter of days, further dates have now been added by popular demand, with tickets on sale now.
In the film, The Corinthians are represented by 10 of the team’s players: Myra Lypnyckyj, Anne Grimes, Pauline Hulme, Marlene Cook, Freda Ashton, Monica Curran, Margaret ‘Whit’ Whitworth, Jean Wilson, Jan Lyons and Margaret ‘Tiny’ Shepherd. They are fast becoming celebrities, with standing ovations wherever they appear to talk about the documentary.
To celebrate these pioneering players, from 23-26th February, in the run up to the Premiere, each will appear on their own digital billboard poster, with their name and playing position, on 28 sites across Manchester’s city centre, which have been donated by Ocean Outdoor.
Hailed by Mayor Andy Burnham as Manchester’s “football suffragettes”, The Corinthians Ladies FC were pioneers of the women’s game. They set up their team in 1949 at the height of The Football Association’s ban on women’s football, and after a 21-year struggle to be allowed to play, survived to become one of the founding teams of the Women’s FA.
Like many Manchester teams, The Corinthians were champions, but with no facilities, no other teams to play, and banned from pitches in the UK, they took their incredible show on the road where they drew huge crowds in massive stadiums including Sporting Lisbon. Amongst many firsts and victories, The Corinthians beat Germany to a European Cup in 1957, and became the first women’s team to tour South America in 1960.
The FA ban was put in place after women’s football became popular during WW1 drawing crowds of up to 50,000 and lasted from 1921 to 1971, due to the all-male establishment declaring the game ‘quite unsuitable for females’.
The Corinthians talent and resilience were instrumental in beating the ban, as their popularity and success led to other women’s teams sparking up around the world until finally they could no longer be ignored.
“The film really makes me see how what we did was a cornerstone for developing women’s football,” says former Corinthian Monica Curran. “It lays down an important historical marker. I am so pleased to see it getting out there into cinemas at last!”
Produced and directed by BAFTA winner Helen Tither, the documentary has been three years in the making and is packed with never-seen-before archive, a specially commissioned Corinthians comic strip, and exclusive interviews with 10 surviving players. The all-female soundtrack is provided by Manchester punk band Loose Articles, composer Sara Lowes and billion-streaming pianist Helen Jane Long.
Backed by the National Football Museum – who have no other films of women talking about playing during the ban in their archive – and supported by Lioness and Manchester United star Ella Toone, the film has been a real labour of love for the production team. Despite initially being told ‘nobody wants to watch women’s sport’, they started making the film anyway, raising money through crowdfunding and sponsorship from BT Group and Tech Mahindra.
“The Corinthians Ladies FC were a proud Mancunian team,” says Director Helen, of Manchester-based production company Films Not Words. “With that rebellious Mancunian spirit, they refused to take no for an answer, so we had to do the same.”
Selected for six film festivals, as far afield as Orlando and Stockholm, it is already winning awards, including Best of the Fest at the North East International Film Festival. Now, the filmmakers are thrilled it will be receiving its major public launch in the team’s home city.
“We have had the absolute privilege of working with 10 surviving players – some of whom joined back in 1954 – to record their amazing stories, in their own words,” says Helen. “And we have always wanted the film to officially launch in their home city, where we believe they deserve to be remembered as one of our great teams, alongside United and City.
“For a cinema venue as prestigious as HOME, one of the leading independent cinemas in the country, to believe in the film is a real validation of their amazing story. We are thrilled to give these legendary players that red carpet moment they truly deserve.”
The Corinthians: We Were The Champions has won Best of The Fest (Feature) at NEIFF, is nominated for Best Documentary at the Northampton Film Festival and will have its London Premiere at the prestigious Women in Film & TV Festival, as part of their showcase event in Covent Garden in March.
Public Manchester screenings are now on sale at HOME, with further screenings across the country to be announced.
