THIS WEEK will see Southampton play host to three games of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.

With record crowds expected, the tournament is being billed as the biggest women’s sporting event in European history: a landmark event for women’s football.

Southampton is one of nine cities across England that will be hosting games.

The city will also be taking part in the FA's EURO 2022 arts and heritage programme which aims to celebrate the rich history of women's football throughout the ages.

Southampton, of course, has a rich heritage when it comes to women’s football. Southampton Women’s FC won the FA Cup an astonishing eight times in a dazzling ten-year spell during the 70s and early 80s and remain one of the most successful women’s team England has ever produced.

Lynda Hale, was one of the original members of that team.

She says the game back then was very different to the one that will be on everyone’s TV screens this summer.

“We played on Southampton Common and you can imagine the condition of the pitches,” said Lynda.

“Facilities were very basic and unsafe: the changing rooms were like a wooden shed with no shower facilities.

"We wore men’s football shirts and boots as there was nothing specifically designed for women.

“I remember one occasion when the changing rooms were broken into whilst we were playing and our clothes were stolen; I had to wear my football kit home on the bus.”

Women were banned from taking part in professional football on FA affiliated pitches for an incredible 50 years between 1921-71.

However, while the game was not officially recognised by the nation’s leading football authority, women still came together to form their own teams and competitive leagues – despite opposition from some who felt football was no place for a female.

Lynda added: “People who appreciated football tended to be great when they saw us play, but there were always some people who would make derogatory or inappropriate comments such as, 'Shouldn’t you be at home doing the dishes?' or 'Can we watch you change your shirts at the end?'”

As it turned out Southampton was no ordinary team. Between 1971 and 1981 they would go on to win the women’s FA Cup an incredible eight times and become one of the nation’s leading female teams of the time.

Lynda, who played as a right-winger, puts the success down to an incredible team bond.

“The team was very stable and we had played together for a long time and so were familiar with each other’s playing styles,” she added.

“We got along well together and so there was a real team spirit. We all gelled and were successful, which meant that people tended to stay with the team. It was a really positive cycle.”

One of Lynda’s teammates was Vanessa Raynbird, who was part of the FA Cup winning team of 1981 –scoring two goals in the semi-final against Preston.

She also played in the final which the Saints won 4-2 against St Helens. “I have still got my winners’ medal and I am very proud of it,” added Vanessa.

Vanessa continued to play football up until the age of 39, appearing for Southampton Women’s FC, and then Red Star Southampton & Southampton Saints, the predecessors to Saints' women side formed in 2017.

She would then go on to manage Southampton Saints – leading them to an FA Cup final in 1999 in front of 6,000 people at Charlton’s Valley Stadium.

In all her time playing for clubs in the city, Vanessa was never once paid a wage to play or manage the side.

Laughing at it now she joked; “It just wasn’t a thing back then. We all played for the love of it. Just like any grassroots side we all paid our subs and were happy with that.

“I worked all my life while playing football and it was the same for everyone in the Southampton side. Everybody was in a job. We were just happy to kick a ball about.”

“I don’t think we ever saw ourselves as trailblazers back then. We were just happy to play and we actually get more recognition now than we ever did back then.

Vanessa will be a close watcher of this summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament which takes place across England. She has booked her tickets to see England Lionesses take on Northern Ireland at Southampton FC’s St Marys Stadium on July 15.

“More people going to watch women’s football and seeing it on TV can only help increase participation, she added. “It’s a great time for women to get involved in the game and I think EURO 2022 will play a massive part in helping with that.”

This summer Southampton will be paying tribute to Lynda and her team-mates with several celebrations in the run up to the start of EURO 2022.

A display about the history of women’s football in Southampton, curated with donations from local people takes place at the SeaCity Museum from 25 June to 30 November.

For more information on the opening hours and ticketing information visit the museum website www.seacitymuseum.co.uk.