jjheritage is celebrating five years and looking forward to 2022

In what has been another difficult trading year for many limited companies, jjheritage is pleased to have completed a new range of 2021 projects.

Media work began with a Soccerex Connected Heritage panel in February, followed by Forbes in the US on 14 August. Later highlights included BBC Radio 4, ‘The Reunion’ Friday 3 September and a panel with the National Football Museum, Stonewall, the Football Supporters Association Thursday 2 December.

Jean was also invited onto an experts panel by UEFA, however, having contributed to an international meeting jjheritage had to withdraw due to pressure of better funded projects. It was a nice end of year dilemma to be turning work away!

Several of our larger 2021 projects have been postponed until 2022. But, before we look forward to 2022, what did 2021 hold?

This will enable her to collaborate on seeking academic funding with colleagues there, and also connect with a wider academic community, having also worked in history and sport faculties. Much of this collaboration is about the economics and professionalisation of football cultures. There are a number of international heritage projects developing from this, and Jean continues to supervise two Doctoral researchers to completion and hopes that they will complete later in 2022 or early 2023.

New Book Published 30 November 2021, The History of Women’s Football Pen and Sword

This 80,000 word manuscript is a popular history, summarising the most up to date aspects of the research so far into the heritage of women’s football. Mainly focussing on the British context, the book has chapters on the early years, dating back to 1881, to the innovations of Nettie Honeyball in 1894/5, and then on to World War One. There are oral histories of the Manchester Corinthians and Harry Batt’s touring teams of 1968-1972. Then the argument looks at England women’s national team history and identity. So far reviews have been good, and several early assessments 5* online.

This will be a major exhibition celebrating the power of women’s football is to be launched at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery in 2022. The show is planned to coincide with the UK hosting the Women’s European Football Championship, with Brighton & Hove as one of nine host cities.

The exhibition will shine a light on the women whose drive and love of the ‘beautiful game’ is bringing football to women and girls in the UK and across the world. It will highlight the close link between football and feminism and share stories of those who have fought for equal rights through football from the suffragettes to women today.

Part of the show will explore how the 1921 Football Association’s historic ban of women’s football 100 years ago impacted on the game today. It will bring to light the overlooked stories of teams, players and other pioneers in the game’s recovery following the FA’s gradual lifting of the ban from 1970s onwards.

The show is expected to be supported by football clubs representing all levels of the women’s game from the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship to grassroots programmes such as those offered by Brighton Galaxy Football Academy.

Museum teams aim to work with local schools and young people, football fans, football historians and local communities whose personal stories of how football changed their lives, and how they changed the direction of football have never before been told.

There have been many smaller writing projects, with chapters and articles coming out in 2021, and more in the pipeline for 2022. We also received funding from FARE to look at ten ethnic minority, and Black British England women players, building up a profile of diverse dual heritage players as well. If you have more details, please get on touch, especially if you have photographs, and player memorabilia.

As a result of two successful Heritage Lottery Bids, one focussing on the North and one on the South, Jean will be writing content and designing exhibition materials across the Women’s Euros sites. Obviously there will be continuity, but also geo-specific content. Please do come along and let us know what you think of the Fanzone materials. There will be plenty of opportunity to engage with this material.

The tournament takes place between the 6 July at Old Trafford and end on 31 July 2022, at Wembley. Other hosts include Brighton and Hove, Southampton, Milton Keynes, Brentford, Sheffield, Wigan and Leigh, Rotherham, and Manchester City Academy Stadium.

The research for this is based on archival work at the National Football Museum, The British Library, oral histories of the players, and other work with FA colleagues.

A preliminary outline of the ideas developing in the book so far can be seen in this new edited book on the official history of the England football jersey, called Three Lions, with Vision Publishing. Jean provided some research notes for this volume written and edited by Simon Shakeshaft, Daren Burney and Neville Evans, published on 2 December 2021.

Read more for free on our Legendary Lionesses webpages after helping the FA to track down the names of every player to have appeared for official England teams, since they were launched in 1972.

This book is now being favourably reviewed, and reaching the various nominations for book prizes across scholarly communities. For example Raf Nicholson, whose PhD thesis Jean examined some years ago now, has said some very nice things here, while also being a bit frustrated about what was left out. Given that the book is 120,000 words, and the average academic monograph 70-80,000 words, perhaps readers can be forgiving on that front! However, Raf’s review is scrupulously fair and makes many good points, including the book setting a research agenda of at least 20 possible angles.

If you are cash strapped and do not have access to a university library, then the e-book is more reasonable at about £25.00.

So lots to look forwards to, as well as ongoing work with the Silverstone Interactive Museum, and other projects.

Thanks to everyone who has supported jjheritage.com in a challenging, but rewarding trading year. Have a peaceful and restful end to 2021, and here’s to new horizons in 2022! Here’s to our sixth year of trading.