Celebrating 100 Years in Women’s Football and Our History: The 1925 ‘Galerie des Champions’ Fundraising Tour

Posted: 10 May 2025 Posted In: Uncategorised

Today the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society is proud to mark the centenary of a remarkable event in our history – a pioneering women’s football tour held to raise funds and awareness for the Society’s work.

Earlier this year, women’s football historian and researcher Steve Bolton, brought to our attention a remarkable series of football matches played between England’s famed Dick, Kerr Ladies and the French team Fémina-Sport Club of Paris. Organised under the title “La Galerie des Champions,” the tour was created to raise awareness and funds for the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society.

Thanks to Steve’s dedicated research and his generous sharing of materials, we are thrilled to celebrate and mark this great moment in our history. Special thanks must go to Steve, whose grandmother Lizzie Ashcroft played in the matches.

The opening match was played on 11 May 1925 at Herne Hill where the English team won 4–2, and went on to play nine more well-attended fixtures, despite challenging weather. At each stop, the matches raised funds to support the Society’s charitable work with shipwrecked seafarers and their families.

The Society’s records highlight how the tour introduced our mission to thousands of spectators across the country – support that continues to this day.

Taken from our Quarterly Statement of Relief to 30th June 1925:

“A special feature in the Society’s doings during the past Quarter was a series of Ladies’ Football Matches played between Dick Kerr’s team, of Preston, Lancashire and the Fémina-Sport Club of Paris, the former captained by Miss Florrie Redford and the latter by Mademoiselle Carmen Pomiès.”

The tour was organised by Major Cecil Kent, with support from Captain F. Haworth and other key figures including Major H. G. Shelton and Captain C. W. Butcher in London. Funds raised were in aid of the Society, supporting our work to help shipwrecked mariners and their families.

Over the course of the tour, ten matches were played in locations including Herne Hill, Padiham, Mellor, Manchester, Hyde, Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Belfast, Chorley, and once again at Herne Hill. Despite the challengingly wet May weather (five matches were affected by rain), thousands of spectators came out to watch the teams compete in thrilling fixtures filled with energy and skill.

The opening match on Monday, 11 May 1925, saw the Lord Mayor of London host the teams at the Mansion House prior to kickoff. That game, opened by entertainer George Robey, saw the English side victorious, 4–2. The closing match on 27 May, also at Herne Hill, featured Admiral Sir Drury Wake kicking off the game.

Although the tour faced financial challenges due to the inclemency of weather, it undoubtedly succeeded in raising awareness of the Society’s work in regions previously unaware of our efforts. As noted in the report, “It is hoped that the tour may have brought notice to the importance of the Society’s work in places where it had not been previously realised.”

This story is not only an important part of the Society’s history – it also shines a light on the women who played a key role in establishing the popularity and credibility of women’s football during a time when it was largely discouraged, even banned, by governing bodies.

Thank you once again to Steve Bolton for bringing this incredible chapter to light, you can read more and watch original footage via the links below:

Posted In: Uncategorised