How FA chiefs refuse to recognize our Lionesses’ 1971 World Cup campaign

As Carol Wilson entered Mexico City’s electrifying Azteca Stadium, she felt the ground shake as 97,000 fans went wild at the arrival of the two soccer teams.

At just 19, she became the youngest player ever to captain an England team – and she did so with a broken foot.

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But until now, Carol’s exploits at the 1971 Women’s World Cup have been forgotten Football The association still does not want to reward any team with a cap, the usual recognition for players who represent their country in an international competition.

At the same tournament, Paula Raynor became England’s youngest goalscorer when she scored against Argentina at the age of 15.

But their names are unlikely to appear in a pub quiz as that data is largely unofficial.

In Mexico we were not interested in politics, all we wanted to do was play football

Carol Wilson

And instead of being celebrated for representing Englandthe entire team that went to Mexico was not allowed to play for three to six months.

Their crime was to rebel against the male rulers of the sport, who did not want women to participate the beautiful game.

But now, thanks to documentary movie The Copa 71, produced by tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams, will finally celebrate their dedication to women’s football in a proper way.

Carol, 72, from Shipdham, Norfolk, told The Sun: “I was delighted to represent my country.

“In Mexico we were not interested in politics, all we wanted to do was play football.

“I got injured against Argentina, but I absolutely couldn’t miss the match against Mexico.

‘Beautiful girls’

“It was painful to play with a broken foot, but sometimes the adrenaline was so high that I didn’t notice it. It wasn’t until I came off that I said ‘ouch’.”

Women’s football was popular in the early 20th century, with fans filling the stadiums. But in 1921, the game’s governing body banned women from playing on affiliated grounds.

That restriction remained in effect for another half century.

At home it was just a few friends and family watching us on the recreational fields. In England we were not allowed to enter the stadiums

Paula Raynor

It meant that neither Carol nor Paula could join a school team and have to pursue their sporting passion on park fields in front of “one man and his dog”.

Then some enterprising Mexican businessmen made plans that would change all that. They realized that they could make good use of the stadiums built in the country for the 1970 Men’s World Cup by hosting a women’s competition at the following location: summer.

Here Luton bus conductor Harry Batt petitioned the Women’s FA, which had only been formed in 1969, to allow him to form a team to take to the tournament.

But instead of helping, the association allegedly told female footballers that they would be blacklisted if they went to Mexico.

Paula says: “The WFA limited Harry on which players he could take on. I heard that some players have been warned not to go to Mexico.”

But with the help of his wife June, Harry managed to convince drinks giant Martini & Rossi to sponsor the trip and found 14 women to come along.

Both Paula, who played for Chiltern Valley Ladies, and Carol, an RAF fitness instructor, had played for England in an unofficial World Cup held in Italy last year.

Achievement ignored

That gave them some experience of playing in real stadiums, and Paula remembers: “We played in Milan and in Juventus (Turin).

“At home it was just a few friends and family watching us on the recreational fields. In England we were not allowed to enter the stadiums.”

The team finished third in Italy, but because the tournament was organized by the breakaway Federation of Independent European Women’s Football, the men’s governing body refused to recognize the achievement.

Harry’s team entered the 1971 World Cup as the British Independents to circumvent FA rules, but the team was listed as England by the tournament organizers and they wore the traditional all-white kit.

Upon their arrival in Mexico, the players were greeted by camera flashes as they stepped off the plane, with crowds outside the airport and locals throwing presents at their bus.

Nearly 400 children watched their training and the local press wrote about the “beautiful girls” of England.

But nothing could have prepared them for entering the towering Azteca Stadium in Mexico City for their first match against Argentina.

Paula says: “The first thing you notice is the heat, then the noise and then the size of the field. You think, ‘Oh my God.’ It’s a very big field. It surprises you, but as soon as the whistle blows, it blocks.”

Until Paula watched the new documentary, she couldn’t remember scoring her equalizer.

She says: “Because of the way the WFA treated us, a lot of things were blocked because I didn’t talk about them.

“I knew I had scored a goal, but it wasn’t until I saw the premiere of the Copa 71 that I knew I had headed it in.”

Carol broke her foot in a 50-50 ball and England lost 4-1 to the South Americans.

The next one match against host country Mexico turned out to be even bigger.

Carol says: “I remember standing in the tunnel to Mexico and it didn’t bother me until then – my legs turned to jelly.”

The 97,000 strong crowd is the largest for an English women’s match, but unfortunately they lost 4-0. But despite the disappointment, Carol says she wasn’t that down.

She recalls: “I know all the girls had tried 110 per cent and when I thought we had come with six people and a dog on Sunday, I thought at the time that women’s football was going to be huge.”

Although they were eliminated, England were invited to stay in Mexico until the tournament ended.

They were treated like celebrities, appearing in newspapers and magazines and opening stores.

The final, in which Denmark beat Mexico 3-0, attracted a crowd of 110,000, proving there was certainly an appetite for the women’s game.

My performance was never announced at school and because we returned from Mexico a week after the start of the school year, I got into trouble with the principal

Paula Raynor

The tournament also showed that women could be just as hot-blooded about this physical sport as men, as in the semi-final between Mexico and Italy, play was stopped ten minutes early due to an on-field brawl. After the tournament was over, the joy for Harry’s team proved short-lived.

There was no one to meet them at the airport in England and only one journalist showed up to ask them about the tournament.

The WFA banned Harry from football for life, Carol was given a six-month ban and the rest of the players three months.

Carol’s treatment upon her return from Mexico took away the joy of playing the game she loved.

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When she attended an event in Newcastle Unitedthe team she had supported since childhood, a compere made fun of her on stage in front of her father.

And her newlywed husband told her to give up football.

Checking boxes at school

Carol recalls, “He didn’t agree. We had just gotten married and he thought that women should not play football anyway and he nagged that I had to leave.”

In the meantime, Paula received a check mark at school.

She says: “My performance was never announced at school, and because we returned from Mexico a week after the school year started, I got into trouble with the principal.”

After leaving school, she joined the RAF and continued to play until her first pregnancy at the age of 25.

Without them, and many others, women’s football would not be where it is today

FA spokesperson, 2024

Today the authorities finally recognize these sporting pioneers.

Last year a blue plaque was unveiled in Luton in honor of the team and founders Harry and June Batt.

And the FA recognizes that the players who went to Mexico changed the face of the game.

A spokesperson told The Sun: “The talented and courageous women who traveled to Mexico in 1971 contributed significantly to the formation of the England women’s team in 1972 and without them, and many others, women’s football would not be where it is today. ”

But they still only issue caps to English players who were cleared to play by the FA from November 1972.

Mother-of-three Paula, 67, from Southport, Merseyside, is pleased with how much has changed for women’s football in recent years.

England’s Lionesses, who won the European Championship in 2022 and reached the World Cup final last year, have made modern players such as captain Leah Williamson household names.

Paula says: “The women’s game is so different now, it’s fantastic. The recent growth since the euro has been phenomenal.”

• Copa 71 is in cinemas from March 8.

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