The Lost Lionesses: The incredible story of England’s forgotten trailblazers

This fascinating and moving account of the first England women's football team to compete in the 1971 World Cup covers both the unfairness the players experienced and the effect it had on women's football as a whole. The squad told the tale, and the famous daughter of the main striker wrote it. One headline after the 1971 First Women's World Cup read, "Don't laugh; one day there may be a female Arsenal." The first lionesses, a mixed bag of schoolgirls, bank clerks, and telephonists, were the focus of attention. The majority of them belonged to the Chiltern Valley football team, which Harry, a sixty-year-old bus driver, oversaw. During the 1971 World Cup in Mexico, these amateur girls became England's first women's football team, but when they got back home, they were met with ridicule. The press's mockery of them undermined their accomplishments. Players may receive a three-month to two-year suspension if they tried to play for another team. The heroes had received their just desserts. Now, fifty years later, is the right time to reveal their truth. The daughter of one of the team members, Janice Barton, tells this multigenerational tale, providing unrivalled access to the insights and secrets of the first-ever woman's team. It celebrates the strength of a group of women who refused to accept the status quo and reveals how the events of 1971 shaped the lives of mother and daughter on a personal and professional level. 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Retired English badminton player Gail Emms, MBE, has won doubles championships across the globe. After being selected to play for England in 1995, Gail went on to win a silver medal in the mixed badminton doubles competition at the Olympics in Athens, along with Nathan Robertson, to become a world champion. 2008 saw her leave the sport. Since then, Gail has built a prosperous media career and established herself as a regular on prestigious shows like Question of Sport and Fighting Talk (5 Live). In addition, she manages events and public relations for her own prosperous business.