"Ladies Football Match "in Edinburgh.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 387, 5 July 1881, Page 3

"Ladies Football Match "in Edinburgh.

An athletic novelty (says the Martha n Chronicle b£;:May nth) was presented to the Edinburgh public on Saturday afternoon, May 7th, in the form of a ** ladies’ football match,” which took place in the Hibernian Park, Easter road. The players were twenty-two young women—one half, we believe, being Scotch, and the other half English—who had formed themselves Into an association for the purpose of popularising football as a feminine pasttime, and at the same time, perhaps, pecuniarily beneftttmg. themselves. The event naturally occasioned some interest and curiosity in both athletic and nonatbletic circles; and the match-was witnessed by an assemblage numbering close on two, thousand persons. It was noticeably v'ftdwever, that hardly any ladies were present, which seemed to indicate .that by that section of the community, at all events, the affair had been prejudged from anything but a of view. The teams appeared the same, as that tlflfinrr of jersey, ockers, stockings, boots, and “ cowl,” ' with a sort of sash depending from the waist—the Scotch - team wearing blue jerseys and red sashes, and the English red jerseys and’blue sashes. Most of the players were well-built, athletic looking girls, /and the teams looked exceedingly picturesque in their bright and tastefully arranged costumes. The match ended in favor of the Scotch by three goals td|nothing. In the latter part ot the contest especially, the play Occasionally partook of the roughness which characterises, the game as usually played; there were frequent scrimmages, and.now and then a tumble or two, which seemed to be greatly enjoyed by the spectators. Some of the latter, indeed, were pretty free with their criticisms, not only of the play, but of the appearance and behavior of the players; treating the various episodes i and accidrnfklof the" game with sarcastic 1 or personal remarks, and with loud guffaws Many more, having satisfied J their curiosity with a look at the players, left the ground, and before the . match was concluded more than half . the spectators had gone The general feeling seemed to be that the whole affair was a most unfeminine exhibition, 1 and it should* certainly be rash to £ predict, from Saturday’s experiment, 1 that, “ ladies’ football matches ” will become popular in. Scotland. j