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Women Between the Wars

Episode 14 of 30

Clare Balding discovers how working women finally got their sporting chance at the turn of the twentieth century.

Clare Balding discovers how working women finally got their sporting chance, through the leisure activities offered by many major employers, at the turn of the twentieth century.The number of female workers in factories, large retailers and service industries was growing hugely and the employers decided to provide them with sports facilities and equipment. Clare visits Bournville, home of Cadbury's, who, like the Lyons company, famous for their tea shops, or Boots in Nottingham, gave access to all their employees to tennis courts, hockey fields, football pitches, lacrosse fields and athletics equipment. She talks to Fiona Skillen from the University of Central Lancashire about the women's football teams of that period, like the Dick Kerr Ladies, that had the power to attract crowds of over twenty thousand spectators but were later banned by the Football Association.
Readers, Jane Lawrence and Sean Baker
Producer: Lucy Lunt.

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15 minutes

Last on

Fri 29 Jun 2018 02:15

Broadcasts

  • Thu 16 Feb 2012 13:45
  • Thu 17 Jul 2014 14:15
  • Fri 18 Jul 2014 00:15
  • Thu 11 Aug 2016 14:15
  • Fri 12 Aug 2016 02:15
  • Thu 28 Jun 2018 14:15
  • Fri 29 Jun 2018 02:15

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