In 1879 Anna Connell, the daughter of a reverend, set up a club for local men in Manchester. The idea was to give them something to do, keeping them out of trouble and crucially, out of the pub. Despite initial failures to get the men interested she persisted and eventually scores of them attended her meetings. If you support the blue half of Manchester you’ll be thankful she kept going – her association would eventually become Manchester City Football Club. It’s believed that Anna may be the only woman in the world to have founded a major soccer club. But her name is now largely forgotten.
Judy Merry spoke to Peter Lupson, the author of 'Thank God for Football' and to Gary James, the Manchester City Writer & Historian. She also attended a Manchester City home game and asked some of the sky blue faithful if they knew who Anna Connell was.
'Thank God for Football' by Peter Lupson is published by Azure. ISBN 139781902694309
