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.
Creative Programme Curator, Jody East said:
‘The Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust are thrilled to be collaborating with Professor Jean Williams on the exhibition Goal Power! Women and Football, due to be held at Brighton Museum in 2022. I first met Jean at the Upfront and Onside conference at the National Football Museum in 2018. Jean’s wealth of knowledge, understanding and passion for both the history and future of women’s football shone through and we were immediately keen to work with her as an advisor on the exhibition in Brighton & Hove.
The history of the women’s game over the past 150 years is fascinating, shocking and inspiring. So much of it is still unknown and untold and we hope to unravel some of this with Jean, especially locally in Sussex, and share it far and wide. We’re particularly interested to explore the parallels with women’s football and the fight for women’s equality.’
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.
Professor Jean Williams, who has led the way on research into women’s football globally for over 20 years, will be supporting the exhibition research and development, also helping to shape the engagement and event programme. Previous work can be accessed
here with free resources on the history of women’s football.
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.
