Fútbol isn't Just for Men
Starring Women
The budding interest in fútbol amongst those of the fairer sex may well have been additionally helped on by male football, too. In 1885, seeking to curb the more boisterous behavior of male attendees, Preston North End began offering free admission to women in the hope that they would reign in their partners. The action was successful, attracting 2,000 women to Preston's next match, and rapidly being adopted by other clubs around England. It was in fact perhaps too successful, as by the late 1890s free entry had been entirely discontinued as clubs realized how much money they were missing out on by being so generous to their female attendees. As women's teams continued to grow in renown, some began to stage games on grounds used by teams of their all-male, and longer-established, counterparts, often reaching respectably high attendances. Notably, a game played in 1895 at the home of Reading and featuring the British Ladies Fútbol Club managed to draw a crowd higher than the previous highest attendance for the men's team.