Football clubs have marked International Women’s Day, with one releasing a new suffragette-inspired strip and another wearing bespoke training kit to pay tribute to their mothers, grandmothers and even tennis star Serena Williams.
FC United of Manchester’s women’s team will wear an away shirt next season inspired by the purple, green and white sashes worn by the suffragette movement in the early 20th century.
FC United launched the away shirt — a first for their women’s team — on Wednesday to coincide with International Women’s Day. This year is also the 120th anniversary of Emmeline Pankhurst’s formation of the Women’s Social and Political Union in Manchester.
The union was an independent, all-woman group dedicated to “deeds, not words”, and it played a huge role in persuading the British parliament to give women the vote.
FC United’s thunder was stolen slightly by neighbours Manchester City, who announced a one-off suffragette-inspired kit, on Friday. Their Women’s Super League team wore the kit on Sunday against Tottenham, while the men’s team wore it during their warm-up and walkout against Newcastle United on Saturday.
But FC United, who were formed by Manchester United fans opposed to Malcolm Glazer’s 2005 takeover, have been planning their kit…
