A Place at the Table
Match #1 Reds vs Blues
Year: 1895
Location: Green Man Public House, Coppull Lane, Wigan
Description: On the 4th December 1895 the British Ladies played a game in Wigan, the venue was a field at the Green man public house in Coppull Lane, the Reds beat the Blues 2-1. According to reports in the Wigan observer, the weather was appalling and spectators were debating whether to pay the entrance fee almost until the advertised kick off time, the game, as the report says went ahead with a healthy number of spectators but goes on to say "the players were not portraying a very elegant appearance" casting doubt as to the women’s game becoming a regulated sport. The game in Wigan was part of the nationwide tour.
Women's Football:
- 1895: First official match of the British Ladies Football Club took place at Crouch End in London on 23 March 1895. The two teams represented North and South London, and reviews of the match were fairly disparaging towards the skills displayed and was reduced to the 'costumes' they wore as an entertaining novelty.
Women's Rights:
- 1880: In Britain, three women are awarded degrees by the University of London. They are the first women to be awarded degrees by a British university.
- 1882: In Britain, a law allows married women to own property in their own right
- 1884: Women first play tennis at Wimbledon
- 1888: Women are allowed to vote in county and borough elections