Lily Parr was born in England in 1905, she loved to play rugby and football. At the age of 14 she played for St Helen’s Ladies Football team, where she was spotted by the manager of Dick, Kerr Ladies, a rival club. Following her signing to his club she went on to play every chance she got. In her first season alone, she scored 43 goals!
As World War II began, a lot of women went to work long hours in the factories, Lily was one of them and yet she still managed to play football during the evenings and at the weekend. On Boxing Day of 1920 Lily and her teammates played against her old club St Helens to a fantastic crowd of 53,000 people! Sadly the next year, in 1921, the English Football Association banned all women from playing football.
Elizabeth Dale brings Lily’s amazing story to life in this energetic and frank look at a football-mad woman trying her best to succeed in sport in war-time Britain. Full of interesting facts about the game, Lily’s life as a female player and information about Britain during that time. Carolina Coroa’s illustrations are bright and engaging cementing this book as a must-read for all, regardless of your affiliation with the game. Lily Parr is a legend, her life now forever in print. She strived to succeed, letting us all know that with passion and determination you can achieve whatever goal you set yourself, and for Lily it was the love of the game.
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