Fodens Ladies F.C. was one of the leading women's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

teams in the United Kingdom. The team emerged as the works team for Edwin Foden, Sons & Co., based in Sandbach. Various dates for the team's formation have been given, from 1955 to 1961. In its early years, the team played friendly matches, including one in 1963 against Preston Ladies F.C., by which time it already included players who did not work at Fodens. In 1966, at a match against Cheshire Ladies, Jeannie Allott played her first match for the club, at only ten years old. The same year, it toured Northern Ireland, playing three charity matches there. The team's first regular competition was the Butlin's Cup, which Fodens won in 1969 and 1970, leading them to be described as the British champions. They also entered the 1969 Deal International Tournament, losing to Manchester Corinthians on the final day. Of the team members, Allott,

Sylvia Gore Sylvia Margaret Gore (25 November 1944 – 9 September 2016) was an English football player and coach. She scored the England women's national football team's first goal in its first official match, a 3–2 win over Scotland in Greenock i ...

and

Sheila Parker Sheila Parker (née Porter; born 1947) is an English former international football defender. In November 1972 she captained the England women's national football team in their first official match, a 3–2 win over Scotland in Greenock. ...

, all played in the first England women's national football team. In 1970, the team was a founding member of the

North West Women's League The North West Women's League (NWWL) was a women's football league, representing the top level of play in North West England. The league was founded in 1970 and originally consisted of eight teams, including Fodens Ladies F.C. Later teams in the ...

. In 1974, it won the Women's FA Cup, becoming the first to defeat Southampton in the competition. The game was previewed in '' The Observer'', which interviewed Fodens' manager, Eric Aldersay. It continued to play throughout the 1970s, including tours of the Netherlands and Belgium. It continued playing until 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fodens Ladies FC Defunct football clubs in Cheshire Defunct women's football clubs in England Sandbach Works association football teams in England