As England's Women look to continue their march in the Euros we look at the original Lionesses.

Wednesday, 16 July 2025 09:11

By Nathan Hill

Preston's Dick, Kerr Ladies drew huge crowds in their day and are seen as the trailblazers of the women's game.

For the latest episode of The Parched Pea Podcast historian Gail Newsham who has uncovered the stories behind the women who played sees her reflect on the journey to getting them recognition.

A blue plaque now adorns the wall of the former factory they worked at in Strand Road and there is a memorial artwork at Deepdale in their memory - which host John ‘Gilly’ Gillmore and Gail explore.

But Gail isn't finished campaigning for the Ladies yet - she reveals how she would like to see something on Waverley Park in Ribbleton as this is where the Dick, Kerr Ladies trained.

The Dick, Kerr Ladies took their name from the munitions factory they worked in and in the 1920s they went on to play in front of more than 50,000 people at Goodison Park.

They would regularly play at Deepdale to more than 10,000 spectators and had an unbeaten run of more than 320 games. The team was disbanded in the mid-1960s due to a lack of players.

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The Parched Pea Podcast is a collaboration between Blog Preston, Lancashire Post and Central Radio with Gilly exploring the people and places which make the city tick and will be available on Spotify, Apple and all other major podcast apps via Podfollow with new episodes being released every other Wednesday between April and July - subscribe to the podcast on your listening platform of choice to always be first to hear of new episodes.