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History Of the Spitfires |
Do you want to know all about one of the oldest women’s and girls’ football club in the U.K? Well this is the place. This page features all the history of the Spitfires as told by first team player, Bev Maull, who is now in her 34th season with the Club and accompanied by her son Steven Maull.
Women’s football has been played in England for over 100 years. The first match recorded was on March 23rd 1895, as the North took on the South, with the North winning 7-1. Popularity of the game continue to grow in the 20th Century and crowds of up to 50,000 watched teams such as ’Dick’ and ’Kerr ladies’ play matches to raise money for charity. Instead of encouragement of the growth of women’s football the Football Association banned women from playing on league grounds in 1921, destroying the game in this country for over 40 years. It wasn’t until the England men’s team winning the World Cup in 1966 there saw a resurgence. From 1969 to 1993 the Women’s Football Association set up and ran a successful England team, national League and an FA Cup competition. However, they were unable to develop the game at grass roots level and in 1993 the FA took control. Today, women’s football is the biggest female sport in England with more female players competing in affiliated competition than any other female team sport. In 1993 there were 10,400 players and today there are over 147,000. Football continues to grow at a fantastic rate since becoming the top female sport in 2002. The ‘Active People’ survey in 2006 highlighted that 250,000 women and 1.1 million girls play some form of football. There are 26 million females playing across the world, of which 4.1m are playing affiliated football.
The success of the ‘Women’s Euro 2005’ brought in audiences on average 8,000-10,000 at home matches for England World Cup qualifying games. Four of the games were broadcast live on television and now England are competing with the best teams in the world at the 5th FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals. Women’s football is already one of the most supported amateur sports in the country. The most recent FA Women’s Cup Final saw 24,259 fans pack into the City Ground in Nottingham, to watch Arsenal play Charlton and over 2.1 million people watched the game live on the BBC.
It may not seem as significant however local women’s and girls’ football club Swindon Spitfires celebrate their 40th birthday this year. Already one of the oldest female football teams in the country and one the original teams first affiliated to the Women’s FA. This is the story of this grass roots team.
Swindon Spitfires was formed in 1967, when a group of girls belonging to the ‘Swindon Town Football Club Marching Band’, decided that they wanted to play football. A father of one of the girls, Mr. Ron Hyde and Chris Maull (current Club President), decided that they would help set up the team. Back in 1967, the Spitfires were invited to the chairman’s lounge at Watford F.C, when they had gone to watch Swindon Town play. The chairman of Watford asked “What do you call yourself?” At that time the girls’ didn’t have a name. The chairman suggested that we should be called the Swindon Spitfires, because the Spitfire planes used in the Second World War were made in Swindon. Since that day the team was born and the name has stuck.
The first match the Spitfires ever played was against Calne, back in June 1967. Spitfires lost 10-5. The scorers on that historic day were S. Carson, with three goals and J. Swindon with two goals. The second time the Spitfires played Calne they drew 6-6. Again S. Carson scored three goals and Club Captain D. Allison added the other three.
Spitfires then had many local fixtures against Lydney, Brockworth and Cricklade. However, their first victory came in their ninth game, against Cheltenham, whom they defeated 4-1. The scorers being R. Collins (2 goals) and both J. Bryant and M. Duncan scoring one each. Spitfires played many charity games in the early days, before joining the Home Countries League in 1970. In this league the Spitfires played the likes of mighty Southampton, Q.P.R and Crystal Palace. There were no restriction on players' ages. The youngest member of the Spitfires squad was 12 and the oldest only 20. Now we have players which are as old as 50+. The average age of players was only 15.
The game was well supported with three or four hundred spectators turning up for the Spitfires' home games, which were then played at Wills Sports Ground. Away games were just as well supported. A lot of people, mostly men, came to laugh, but stayed and admired the football played. This is just as evident toady as nearly 25,000 spectators saw the most recent FA Women’s Cup Final. However, teams that play in the likes of cup finals have the financial backing and the support of a men’s team. Finance, as for grass roots teams was a problem then as it still is today. In 1970 the girls paid 10p a week each and 30p every game. This was a lot in those days. However, teams are constantly looking for sponsorship and this can be hard to come by. Without, the support of a men’s team it is almost impossible to get the support required to run a successful team from Juniors through to Seniors.
In 1972 the Spitfires had their first tour abroad. They visited Salzgitter (twin town to Swindon) in Germany. They took part in an International Tournament, which was held in Braunschweig (Brunswick). A young Spitfires squad did extremely well to finish third overall, having to play Hannover, Braunschweig, Wildeman and the powerful Berlin team, whom they defeated 1-0. This was a great achievement, considering that most of the German players played professionally. This is evident today as Germany has one of the strongest female squads in the world, along with the likes of the U.S.A.
In 1975/76, Ron Hyde, the first manager of the Spitfires, decided to step down due to work commitments. It was then that our current President, Chris Maull, took over. Little did he know that his reign as manager would last 12 seasons. During this time the Spitfires won many honours. In 1977 Spitfires were due to travel to Andover to take part in a six-a-side tournament. Unfortunately due to an error by the minibus company, the bus was double booked. Half the team had to travel to Andover in the back of a removal lorry. It wasn't the most comfortable way to travel. However, they had such a great laugh and it was worth while when they all came home with the third placed trophies. That same season Spitfires finished third in the Stroud five-a-side, came runners up in their own tournament and finished winners of the Tiverton five-a-side. In 1980 the Spitfires just failed to win promotion from the 2nd Division of the Home Counties League, when they finished 3rd. However they still dominated the small sided tournaments. Between 1980 and 1985 Spitfires were to win 9 tournaments, were successful in the President Cup and the Waterlooville Cup.
In 1985 the Spitfires travelled to Dortmund to take part in an international tournament. The team all stayed in B&Bs and once again they all had a great time. On the day of the tournament all the players were handed a large banner with the Club's name on. They then had to walk around the arena, like the countries do at the Olympics. When all the teams reached the middle all the national anthems were played. Spitfires player Bev Maull recalls. ‘It was such an honour to stand there and listen to 'God Save the Queen.' You would have thought we were the English national team and not Swindon Spitfires.’ In their matches Spitfires were not so successful as they were beaten 2-0 by SV Brackel, 1-0 by Wildeshausen and in their last match they drew 0-0 with Westfalen. Having not played to their full potential the girls were disappointed, so it was just a case of watching the other teams compete in the semis and final. However, when it came to the presentations, unbeknown to the Spitfire team, they were called to the centre of the arena and were presented an impressive trophy and 300 Deutschmarks as the Fair Play winners. After the tournament had finished all the players we invited to a party where you could eat and drink as much as you liked (for free, so you can imagine the next morning when they all had to travel home, there were a few sore heads.
The next six years was to prove a very eventful time for the Club. In the season 1990/1991 Spitfires was to appoint a new team manager, ’Kerri Garwood’. Everything looked good for the Club, as they pushed for promotion from the 2nd. Division of the Home Counties League. Bev Maull recollections was not a good one of this time as she suffered a double compound fracture of the right leg in January. ‘I said I would never play again. Little did I know then.’ Unfortunately, Spitfires was not promoted this year as they finished joint 2nd and missed out on goal difference. Several girls went to the Pontins 5 a side tournament, in which they finished runners up and all had a great time. The 1991/92 season started very well for the Club, as they again pushed for promotion from the Second Division. This time they were to go one better, winning the 2nd. Division Championship. They also won the Portsmouth 6 a side, as well as finishing runners up in the Swindon 5 a side, and the Regional 5 a side. Bev tells us, ‘I remember the Swindon 5 a side very well; it was the first time we held the Tournament at Allied Dunbar; the weather was horrendous, it poured with rain all day. When we played the final the pitch resembled a mud bath, and me with my leg in plaster meant that the plaster by the end of the day was black not white’.
The 1992/3 season was to turn out to be a most eventful year. On the field of play the players reached the final of the Southern Regional League Cup for the first time in the Club's history and were winners of the Southampton 6 a side, the Swindon 5 a side, and the Reading 5 a side. This was a great achievement for the Club, as it was now running with only a handful of players. The reason for this was that several of the girls had left to form Swindon Town Ladies. When this happened it was a sad day in the history of the Spitfires. The Club had been in discussions with Swindon Town Football Club since July 1992 with a view to become part of the men's club. Everyone connected to the Spitfires thought this was going to happen. Unfortunately, the Spitfires manager at the time, who was having talks with Swindon Town on behalf of Spitfires decided to go it alone, and in doing so took nearly all the players as well. To this day it is always remembered and there will always be constant hostility between the clubs. However, Spitfires will remember that Swindon Town Ladies would be nothing if it wasn’t Spitfires.
Spitfires struggled on with only 5 players. Bev Maull says, ‘We were not going to be beaten. I decided to come out of retirement, and with a lot of hard work and advertising we managed to survive. By the start of the season Spitfires had a new manager and a new squad of players. Things always happen for reason, but this almost crushed the Spitfires and who knows what they might have achieved at that time if all the players had stayed with the squad’. Spitfires knew that they could prevail and find the success that they deserved and this was shown by the commitment that all the players showed.
The 1993/94 season was just a question of survival and maintaining their position in Division One. Against all odds Spitfires avoided relegation. The Club did have some success this season when their under 17s came runners-up in the Brentford 5 a side. Instead of looking back at what could have been Spitfires looked to the future and in September 1994 the Club was to set up a Junior section, and several of the players from that day are now playing football for the Senior teams. On the field of play the Seniors were to win the Highworth 6 a side, and the under 12s were to win the Eldene 6 a side. The league season was another difficult one with Spitfires just managing to stay up. Bev Maull tells us, ‘I will always remember our last game that season. It was against the champions, Binfield, who had just stuffed us 7 - 0 at Maunsell Way, Wroughton. I said to the captain, "Watch out next season we are going to win the league." She just looked at me in disbelief! I knew we could prove to her and everyone else that we could succeed.’
The following season Bev was to be proved right. Several players returned to the Club, not those who had gone to Swindon Town but others who had previously played. Spitfires had the best season ever in their history. It went to the wire but they were eventually crowned Southern Regional League Champions. It was one of the highlights of every players football career. That season Spitfires were also runners-up in the Swindon 5 a side, the under 14s were runners-up in the St. Joseph’s 6 a side and the Swindon 5 a side. What a year! What a team! Spitfires had achieved the success that they greatly deserved. It just showed what Spitfires could achieve, there was so much more that they could give and this was proved to so many people.
The Spitfires lead the way as the best female football team in Swindon.
After finishing as Champions, Spitfires pushed to play at a higher level. They played Tottenham in a play-off to see which team would get promoted. They level of football was so high and even Spitfires as champions couldn’t compete the likes of Tottenham.
To be continued.
Want to know more?
Check back here soon as I will be writing the next part of the Spitfires' history. Still to come: our promotion hopes, two teams, charter standard and the here and now. If you have any comments or you remember anything about your time as a Spitfire, then you can contact me at bevmaull@Hotmail.com
Index
‘The FA Women’s and Girls’ Facts Book’ - The Football Association.
‘History of Swindon Spitfires’ - Bev Maull.
Written by Steven Maull with Bev Maull.
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