Mexborough & Swinton Times, August12th 1932
The Women’s Part
Getting Ready For Football At Wombwell
The Weaker Sex ?
Extraordinary scenes have been witnessed this week in the fields lying below the L.N.E. Railway at Wombwell. Dozens of Spartan females have been teen digging with feverish zest, flinging earth into barrows with muscular arms, pulling heavy rollers about, trenching and levelling. The scene has resembled a newly developed mining camp. The womanhood of Edward Street has turned navvy.
What is all this animation about? Why this enthusiastic rush to change the earth’s natural contours? Simply this. The menfolk of Edward Street, Wombwell, have been debating for some time the question of forming a football club, and the womenfolk wives, daughters, sisters. sweethearts, and even grannies—have made their minds up. The women wanted a football club, so that ended it. Literally there was no argument. The womenfolk of Edward Street are “gogetters.” They are not numerous, but what they want they have. So the Edward Street (Wombwell) Football Club came into being. Petticoat rule has again prevailed. It is not always safe to approach woman when she is working—especially when they are working battalions.
“Was woman ever in that humour won?” Not likely! Therefore, a “South Yorkshire Times” representative, torn between the conflicting impulses of a stern devotion to duty and a selfpreserving instinct to cut and run advanced warily. Had he come to help ? No. Then they hadn’t time to bother with him. And since “He is a fool who thinks by force or skill to turn the current of a woman’s will,” our representative thought it wise and diplomatic to concentrate on distant observation. He marvelled as he watched these Amazons of the side street swing their picks about and trot along manfully with big barrow loads of rubble. “Frailty !”—thy name is not woman. Not in Edward Street. at any rate. And the men-folk, knowing that opposition or interference would be futile—let ’em. However, when it’s time to feed baby, put the bread in, or get the children to bed, the meeker element come on duty. But the women are the orderly buffs, the Lords High Executioners the bosseeses of the show.
It’s their football club. At any rate there probably would not have been an Edward Street Football Club if it hadn’t been for the women. Let us have a football club, said they, and it was so. They have already formed a Women’s Supporters’ Club, and if the men don’t come up to cocker in their football form they can expect to see themselves supplanted—perhaps by women!
The Edward Street Football Club are writing new lines into local sporting history. Formed only a fortnight ago. they have secured an excellent playing field, signed on the requisite number of players (all out of the same street), and equipped them with boots and jerseys. Several of the players have already had experience in Barnsley district junior footbal and the team hopes to make a name for itself in the Sheffield and Hallamshire Friendlies League, with a view to joining a Barnsley and district competition next season.
Mr. C. Binns, 2s, Edward Street, is secretary, Mr. Edward Oakland, of Wombwell Hall, and Parkhill Brickworks, is president, and the committee is composed of E. Dobson (treasurer), D. Cameron. F. Bilks, and W. Emeon. The club is for Edward Street alone, and no outsider will be entertained. Mr. “Jimmy” Wright has given the club valuable assistance by carting ashes on to the site without charge.