Today Blyth Spartans, based in the little town of Blyth, Northumberland, are a small football team playing in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football.
But during WWI, as six million British men were away fighting a war which made Britain go from being the world's biggest creditor to being heavily in debt (a war, though, which was necessary), the female counterparts of the Blyth Spartans took to the pitch to keep people's morale up.
Thousands of female munition factory workers began playing the beautiful game during World War One, but the Blyth Spartans Munitionettes from Northumberland played more beautifully than all the others.
Taught to play by naval ratings on a local beach, the Blyth Spartans remained unbeaten throughout their two-year existence.
Their star centre-forward was Bella Raey, the daughter of a local coal miner, who scored 133 goals in one season, and even went on to play for England women's team.
A premier league of their own! The female munition factory workers of WWI who kept football alive while their men fought in the trenches
Blyth Spartans Munitionettes, from Northumberland, formed in August 1917
All the women worked in Blyth's South Docks, loading ships with ammo
Women were taught to play football by navy boys on the beaches
During their two years playing they were never beaten
Centre-forward Bella Reay scored 133 goals and then played for England
But when men returned home from war the team was disbanded
By Martha De Lacey
26 February 2014
Daily Mail
They took to the pitch to keep football fans' spirits high while Britain's men were off at war. But there was one team that stood tall above the rest.
Thousands of female munition factory workers began playing the beautiful game during World War One, but the Blyth Spartans Munitionettes from Northumberland played more beautifully than all the others.
Taught to play by naval ratings on a local beach, the Blyth Spartans remained unbeaten throughout their two-year existence.
Stars: The Blyth Spartans team of 1918, including Bella Raey who scored a hat-trick in the Munitionettes Cup
Star player: The Blyth Spartans top player was coalminer's daughter, Bella Raey
Today the Blyth Spartans men play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football
Their star centre-forward was Bella Raey, the daughter of a local coal miner, who scored 133 goals in one season, and even went on to play for England.
The highlight of the female football calendar was a knock-out tournament called the Munitionettes Cup, held in 1918, which attracted 30 teams.
The Blyth Spartans were the eventual winners, beating Bolckow-Vaughan of Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough in front of a crowd of 22,000. Bella Reay scored a hat-trick.
But despite the women being almost as popular on the pitch as the men had been before the war, when the boys returned home, the munition factories closed and the teams disbanded.
Several women tried to continue to play, but in 1921 the FA banned women's football at their grounds - bringing to an end a colourful chapter in women's sport which has long been overlooked.
Now the story of the Blyth Spartans Munitionettes has been brought to life in a radio documentary for BBC Newcastle as part of a new series that explores the tales of the British women who kept the UK moving during World War One.
The UK-wide project, World War One At Home, will tell more than 1400 powerful, fascinating and moving stories over the coming year across local, regional and national radio, television and online.
Listen to the BBC Newcastle documentary online at bbc.co.uk. For more on the Blyth Spartans, see donmouth.co.uk.
Winners: The Blyth Spartans pose with their supporters after triumphing in the Munitionettes Cup
Rivals: The Carlisle United Munitionette team was another women's football ensemble formed during WW1
Vanquished: The Bolkow-Vaughan team from Middlesborough was beaten by the Spartans in the cup final
The quayside at Blyth
Read more: Female munition factory workers who kept football alive during WWI | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
But during WWI, as six million British men were away fighting a war which made Britain go from being the world's biggest creditor to being heavily in debt (a war, though, which was necessary), the female counterparts of the Blyth Spartans took to the pitch to keep people's morale up.
Thousands of female munition factory workers began playing the beautiful game during World War One, but the Blyth Spartans Munitionettes from Northumberland played more beautifully than all the others.
Taught to play by naval ratings on a local beach, the Blyth Spartans remained unbeaten throughout their two-year existence.
Their star centre-forward was Bella Raey, the daughter of a local coal miner, who scored 133 goals in one season, and even went on to play for England women's team.
A premier league of their own! The female munition factory workers of WWI who kept football alive while their men fought in the trenches
Blyth Spartans Munitionettes, from Northumberland, formed in August 1917
All the women worked in Blyth's South Docks, loading ships with ammo
Women were taught to play football by navy boys on the beaches
During their two years playing they were never beaten
Centre-forward Bella Reay scored 133 goals and then played for England
But when men returned home from war the team was disbanded
By Martha De Lacey
26 February 2014
Daily Mail
They took to the pitch to keep football fans' spirits high while Britain's men were off at war. But there was one team that stood tall above the rest.
Thousands of female munition factory workers began playing the beautiful game during World War One, but the Blyth Spartans Munitionettes from Northumberland played more beautifully than all the others.
Taught to play by naval ratings on a local beach, the Blyth Spartans remained unbeaten throughout their two-year existence.
Stars: The Blyth Spartans team of 1918, including Bella Raey who scored a hat-trick in the Munitionettes Cup
Star player: The Blyth Spartans top player was coalminer's daughter, Bella Raey
Today the Blyth Spartans men play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football
Their star centre-forward was Bella Raey, the daughter of a local coal miner, who scored 133 goals in one season, and even went on to play for England.
The highlight of the female football calendar was a knock-out tournament called the Munitionettes Cup, held in 1918, which attracted 30 teams.
The Blyth Spartans were the eventual winners, beating Bolckow-Vaughan of Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough in front of a crowd of 22,000. Bella Reay scored a hat-trick.
But despite the women being almost as popular on the pitch as the men had been before the war, when the boys returned home, the munition factories closed and the teams disbanded.
Several women tried to continue to play, but in 1921 the FA banned women's football at their grounds - bringing to an end a colourful chapter in women's sport which has long been overlooked.
Now the story of the Blyth Spartans Munitionettes has been brought to life in a radio documentary for BBC Newcastle as part of a new series that explores the tales of the British women who kept the UK moving during World War One.
The UK-wide project, World War One At Home, will tell more than 1400 powerful, fascinating and moving stories over the coming year across local, regional and national radio, television and online.
Listen to the BBC Newcastle documentary online at bbc.co.uk. For more on the Blyth Spartans, see donmouth.co.uk.
Winners: The Blyth Spartans pose with their supporters after triumphing in the Munitionettes Cup
Rivals: The Carlisle United Munitionette team was another women's football ensemble formed during WW1
Vanquished: The Bolkow-Vaughan team from Middlesborough was beaten by the Spartans in the cup final
The quayside at Blyth
Read more: Female munition factory workers who kept football alive during WWI | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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