The Sterling Ladies FC to the Lionesses: The Legacy of the Dagenham Invincibles of World War One

28/02/2025  -  12.31

Alex Alexandrou

As part of International Women’s Month and to celebrate International Women’s Day, which this year will be on the 8th March, Valence House Museum, based in Dagenham, London invited Women’s Football Historian Steve Bolton, to curate an exhibition that celebrated and recognised pioneering women footballers from the First World War to the current day. Steve was assisted and supported in this endeavour by the Army FA, British Society of Sports History, Essex FA, Football and War Network and the Western Front Association.

Steve Bolton - Curator of the Exhibition. Source: Steve Bolton Collection

The title of the exhibition is – The Sterling Ladies FC to the Lionesses: The Legacy of the Dagenham Invincibles of World War One. It will run from the 15th February to the 29th March. It is a free entry exhibition that is set in a wonderful building. More information can be found here.

The exhibition features artefacts, images and memorabilia from Steve Bolton’s extensive personal collection, as well as from the Valence House Museum Archive. The exhibition has ten key themes that cover a number issues and topics. These include the bans and barriers female players had to endure throughout most of the 20th Century and to some degree still endure now. On show are images from Steve Bolton’s significant collection of rare and varied postcards, depicting over 130 years of women’s football and sporting achievements and participation.

As the museum is based in Dagenham, the story of the Sterling Telephone Factory and the Sterling Ladies football team, often referred to as the Dagenham Invincibles, that went unbeaten between 1917-1919 is told, as is the story of Lizzy Ashcroft, one of the first superstar women players of the first half of the 20th Century, who so happened to be Steve Bolton’s grandmother. She sparked his enthusiasm, interest and passion in the history of Women’s Football. It also tells the story of Munitionettes football during the First World War.

Of particular note are some of the stories of many magnificent female players during the period covered by the exhibition, that include those of Carmen Pomies, Rose Reilly and of course, The Lionesses! 

Bringing it to the current day, the activities and initiatives of the Essex FA, in relation to all types of Girls and Women’s Football, be it competitive or recreational are showcased, as is Army Women’s Football.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, on the 8th March, there will be a free entry event to complement the exhibition. It is entitled - Granny: Women in Football, Lizzy Ashcroft and the Dagenham Invincibles. The event will include a screening and talk of the short film “Granny”, which is the story of Lizzy Ashcroft, followed by a panel event hosted by the Football and War Network, that will include influential women within football from the Army FA, Essex FA and Talk Sport and Steve Bolton. More information about this event can be found here.

Both events will be fascinating, informative and interesting for those who want to learn more about the early years of Women’s Football, its trial and tribulations, its development and the key place it now holds within football and society not only within the United Kingdom but across the globe.

Biography

Alex Alexandrou is Co-Founder and Chair of the Football and War Network.