By Mrs Crawford-Smith (PYP Coordinator and Year 5 Teacher)

On Monday 20th May, we were thrilled to welcome four of the original Lionesses into school who delivered an inspirational talk to our Year 6 pupils.

Leah Caleb, Jan Emms, Gillian Sayell and Chris Lockwood paved the way for women’s football and represented England at the 1971 Women’s World Cup in Mexico. The England team was largely made up of teenagers: Leah was just 13 and none of them had ever flown on an aeroplane. On arrival to Mexico the team were treated like superstars and signed autographs wherever they went. They played in front of 90,000 fans at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, having only played previously on park pitches.  Despite their stardom in South America, their return to home turf was met with disapproval and they were prohibited from participating in the sport. The players went their separate ways, with many of them not seeing each other for over 50 years.

The visit gave a real life context to the How we Organise Ourselves Unit of Inquiry that the Year 6 pupils have been inquiring into this half term. In class, they have been exploring the role of Governing bodies, the consequences of laws and the influence of propaganda. The visit from these pioneering women brought to life the real world consequences of societal decision making and the negative impact they can have on individuals.

Our visitors were incredibly gracious and humble, and were so keen to talk to the pupils about their own experiences in sport - what sports they partake in and what inspired them to play for the teams they are on. Ati was proud to share with them the awards she had received at the End of Season Awards evening at the weekend for Kempston Rovers, where she had received the ‘Player’s Player’ award and team trophy. Ati said: ‘I think it was really fun to interact with people who are trailblazers for women’s football. It was interesting to compare with them how football has changed since their playing days.”

A new film called Copa 71 tells the remarkable story of the tournament and the disappointment that followed. This will be aired on BBC in June. 

Chris Lockwood’s niece has recently had her play, The Lost Lionesses, commissioned by The Space Theatre in London. The story features verbatim recounts of memories from the players themselves and their revolutionary manager, Harry Batt. The show is running in person and as a live stream from 16th-20th July.  

Our visitors were a reminder that courage and determination can help us break down barriers and it was so heartening to hear the story of the original Lionesses in person.