Manchester Corinthians: Formalising Football | OneFootball

Continuing our series on the pioneering Manchester Corinthians women’s team, today Gary James talks about the Corinthians' involvement in the creation of leagues and competitions.

When the Manchester Corinthians were established during 1948/49 there was a ban on women’s football being played on FA affiliated grounds. Not only that, but those involved with FA affiliated clubs could be banned if they became involved with women’s football.

As we’ve seen in previous weeks, City ‘keeper Bert Trautmann ignored the possibility of a ban by taking the Corinthians on tour to Germany in 1957. He was not the only person who challenged authority. Simply by playing the Corinthians challenged the establishment.

MANCHESTER CORINTHIANS: THE AUTHORISED HISTORY

One person who went much further than most though was Gladys Aikin, the Corinthians’ manager.

Gladys became involved with the Corinthians in the mid-sixties when her daughter, City fan Carol Aikin, joined the club as a goalkeeper.

After founding manager Percy Ashley died in 1967, Gladys became more involved in the organisation of the club, ultimately becoming manager.

Gladys was a great organiser, and she talked with likeminded managers at other clubs about challenging the FA ban. She also worked with others to establish the Women’s Football Association in 1969.

That was the point when women’s football finally had a body that could represent the wider interests of women’s teams. Gladys became a member of the committee and worked hard to promote the sport.

Her daughter Carol remembers: "She was always a committed lady. She ended up taking the Corinthians on when things seemed uncertain.

"She was quite an organised lady, and I think she’d seen the twenty to thirty women, plus the charity aspect. She wanted to carry it on. She was extremely dedicated, and she put everything into the Corinthians from then on."

MANCHESTER CORINTHIANS: BEATING JUVENTUS

Gladys was a real advocate for the Women’s FA (WFA) and promoted it to other clubs in the north west and elsewhere whenever she could.

Pressure was then exerted on the FA to lift the ban introduced in 1921 and after almost fifty years it was lifted.

Working together was the best way forward and Gladys contributed to that. She also put effort into organising football regionally, nationally and internationally.

She became Chair of the International Committee and remained in this role when the first official England international was played. The women’s national side beat Scotland 3-2 in the first international, played in November 1972.

Corinthian Jean Wilson played in that game, while former Corinthian Sylvia Gore was recorded as England’s first goalscorer.

In 2016 Sylvia was appointed a Manchester City ambassador for her role promoting women’s football, adding to the connections between our club and these pioneers. Sadly, she passed away later that year.

REMEMBERING SYLVIA GORE MBE

After playing with the Corinthians in the 1960s, Sylvia joined another prominent team, Fodens. Carol Aikin also joined the club which became one of the leading names in the game.

Both Carol and Sylvia won FA Cup winners’ medals in 1974 when Fodens defeated Southampton 2-1. Another former Corinthians, Hazel Bancroft, played in that final too.

Both Fodens and the Corinthians played in the Three Counties League at this time, a competition Gladys Aikin and her husband George had played a major part in establishing in 1971.

MANCHESTER CORINTHIANS: MAKING A MARK IN VENEZUELA

It was the first competitive league in the region and was, in many ways, the first step towards the league structure we have today. Without the dedication of Gladys and the others who knows how the game would have developed locally.

By 1974, Gladys Aikin’s involvement with the Corinthians had ended, but George Aikin went on to manage the club into the late 1980s. Gary will talk more about the Corinthians during that decade in our next article.

Then, as with Gladys’s time, the connections with City were strong. Many of the women who played for the Corinthians at this time were City fans and some went on to play for our first women’s team in 1988.

Carol Aikin, who enjoyed a career as a PE teacher in Hattersley, remains a City fan, attending WSL games.

She was a guest of the club at this season’s WSL Manchester Derby, along with other Corinthians. As a former FA Cup winner, her own story is of great interest and is documented in Gary's book: Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History.

On Wednesday 5 March (17.30-19:00) Gary will also be doing a talk on the history of the Corinthians at Manchester Central Library.

For more information on how to attend, click here.

Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History is available from all usual book retailers and can be ordered direct from Gary by clicking here.