Manchester Corinthians L.F.C. was a leading English women's football club of the 1950s and 1960s. The team was founded in 1949 by Percy Ashley, principally so that his daughter, Doris, could play. Their home ground was Fog Lane Park in

Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

, although it had such basic facilities that players had to take post-match baths in a nearby duck pond. Ashley chose the team name as a

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to Corinthian FC, the men's amateur football team from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, famous for their sporting ideals. The team proved immediately successful, and by 1951 had won the Southern Cup, Manchester Area Cup, Sports Magazine Cup, Roses Trophy, Midland Trophy, Cresswell Trophy, Odeon Championship Trophy, Belle Vue Trophy, and Festival of Britain Championship Trophy. The team won the large majority of its matches, and often racked up large margins of victory. In 1957, in order to have more local opposition to play, Ashley set up a second, linked, team, The Nomads, which was effectively the club's second eleven. In 1957, the team toured Portugal, then completed in the International Ladies Football Association-organised European Cup, where it beat a team representing Germany. During the tournament, Bert Trautmann acted as the team's interpreter. This proved the first of many annual tours, the longest being a 12-week tour of South American and the Caribbean in 1960. Some matches attracted crowds of tens of thousands, and large amounts were raised for charity. Percy Ashley died in 1967, and the team was gradually eclipsed by newer clubs. It won the first Deal International Tournament, in 1968, and took part in an international tournament in

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

in 1970, beating ACF Juventus 1–0 in the final. It also won the Women's Football Association's (WFA) Teddy Gray Memorial Challenge Trophy in 1968 and 1969, losing in the final in 1970. In June 1970 Corinthians were one of the 44 clubs to be represented at the WFA's inaugural annual general meeting at

Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and art ...

.{{cite web , last1=Gregory , first1=Patricia , title=Founder Clubs , url=https://wfahistory.wordpress.com/early-years/founder-clubs/ , website=History of the Women's Football Association , accessdate=23 November 2019 It then joined the Three Counties League. However, by the end of the decade, it had declined.

References

Defunct women's football clubs in England Defunct football clubs in Greater Manchester Association football clubs established in 1949 Association football clubs disestablished in 1982 Sport in Manchester 1949 establishments in England 1982 disestablishments in England