How it all began: the story of women’s soccer in sixties Drogheda

Abstract

There is very little reference to the history of women’s soccer in Irish secondary sources. Any sources that do deal with women’s soccer usually focus on the developments since the formation of the Ladies Football Association in 1973. There is little reference to the football teams and leagues that were formed before this date. In Drogheda, the earliest reference to women’s soccer was in 1966 when an indoor football league was established. Ireland was going through a period of economic growth in the 1960s and employment opportunities for women grew in urban areas like Drogheda. This article will outline the impact this had on women’s sport in Drogheda, it will describe the Abbey Ballroom Indoor Football League and discuss the influence this league had on the development of women’s soccer in the region. As there is little secondary source material available, the main sources for this research are newspapers and interviews.