England Women's Football:
A Pioneering Past
The Inagural Women's Euros
The first Women's European Championships was held over the course of 2 years from 1982 to 1984.
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The England Women's squad touch down in Sweden ahead of the first leg of the final in 1984 - National Football Museum.
The earliest evidence of the UEFA’s interest in women’s football can be sourced in November 1970. A report by General Secretary, Hans Bangerter, to the UEFA Executive Committee targeted the investigation of women’s football in their member countries.
Escalating the following year at the UEFA Congress in Monte Carlo, June 1971, the committee were presented with the results of the investigation. Most opinions on the women’s game were divided, mainly due to medical grounds, but UEFA wanted to discover the bigger picture. Feedback from the investigation unveiled women were playing football in 22 European countries, however only 8 of these countries national footballing organisations had control over them. Subsequently, the UEFA Executive Committee considered it essential to bring the sport under control of the national associations.
The following resolution was adopted at the Monte Carlo Congress:
"The Extraordinary Congress of UEFA requests the Executive Committee to examine the question of women's football in detail and to take the necessary measures in order to ensure its uniform organisation in all member associations. The UEFA member associations agree to take charge of the control of women's football in their countries, and they require that international matches, competitions, and tournaments be exclusively controlled by the international football authorities, FIFA and UEFA, respectively."
As a result, a committee was formed to deal with the set-up of the women’s game. It looked to draft guidelines on its structures and standardisation. The first Women’s Football Committee was established and met in Zurich, March 1971, during a women’s football conference.
The committee revealed support for introducing an international competition managed by UEFA. Some thought it too soon to launch a competition on such a scale and consequently, the development of the women’s game lost momentum. Its growth slowed in most countries, as well as within the UEFA committee, only meeting once in 1974 before it was dissolved in 1978.
In his annual report, Hans Bangerter stated:
"It was not felt absolutely necessary to have any further direct influence on the development of women's football on a European level. . . After a pause for reflection, however, this aspect of the game will shortly be receiving the appropriate attention again."
Following this period of reflection, another UEFA women’s conference was convened in Zurich in early 1980. The following year, the committee agreed that UEFA should start a competition for national representative women teams. At least 12 national associations had to enter a team for its success.
Entries were invited in December 1981 for the first UEFA Competition for Women’s National Representative Teams. Overall, 16 national associations entered. The committee drew up four groups of four teams for the inaugural women’s European Championships to kick off in the summer of 1982. The groups were based off what UEFA described as “economic criteria.”
England captain Carol Thomas and Sweden captain Anette Börjesson shake hands at Greenock ahead of the last leg of the 1982-84 Euros final.
For the duration of the tournament, UEFA sought out more precise on the status of women’s football in different European countries. The questionnaire revealed that the sport was developing in most of the member associations.
Bangerter highlighted:
"On the basis of the information thus received, it may be expected that even more European associations will enter the Women's Competition in the future."
Women’s football and its future was given the green light.