Rutherglen Ladies are talk of the town
Online chat focuses on footie stars
An online talk about the history of women’s football in Scotland will spotlight an acclaimed local ladies’ team.
Rutherglen Ladies were featured in a BBC documentary earlier this year, which explored how they took on all comers during the 1920s and 1930s.
Now Dr Fiona Skillen, of Glasgow Caledonian University, will discuss the team as she chronicles the women’s game from World War I through to the outbreak of World War II.
Dr Skillen’s research project on Rutherglen Ladies helped lead to the BBC’s interest, and the resulting programme on the women.
The online lecture, presented by History Scotland, will take place on Wednesday, May 4, at 6.30pm and will look at who was responsible for the growth of women’s football in the 1920s, the obstacles these pioneers of the game overcame, the reaction to the women’s game as gender roles evolved and the players who spearheaded the revolution.
The illustrated talk will draw on reports and photographs from local newspapers to trace the developments from the outbreak of World War I in 1914 to the onset of World War II in 1939, and look at how the teams of the 20s and 30s helped pave the way for today’s modern female stars.
An exhibition looking at Rutherglen Ladies has recently been held at the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park.
The team toured around Scotland, England and Ireland, drawing big crowds and being managed by Rutherglen man J.H Kelly.
They famously defeated Dick Kerr’s Ladies, considered the top side in women’s football, in a match held at Shawfield Stadium in September 1923.
The team was disbanded in 1939.
The talk will last 45 minutes and be followed by a 30-minute Q&A, chaired by Dr Allan Kennedy, History Scotland’s consultant editor.
Go to www.historyscotland.com/ for more details on the event.
It will be available for seven days after first airing.