Born in St Helens, Merseyside, in 1905, the fourth of seven children, Lily Parr grew up playing cricket, rugby and football with her brothers. She joined Dick, Kerr Ladies in 1919, aged just 14, having been poached from St Helens Ladies, and remained at the club until 1951. In 1920, Parr and her team became the first female footballers to play abroad. They were also the first to wear shorts.
Nearly six feet tall and potty-mouthed, Parr was a force to be reckoned with. A strong left-footer, she once broke a man’s arm with a powerful penalty. By the time Dick, Kerr Ladies disbanded in 1965, they had scored about 3,500 goals – and Lily Parr was responsible for almost 1,000 of them.
Outside football, Parr worked as a nurse…
