Fife museum staff are appealing for memorabilia linked to women’s football in the region ahead of a new exhibition.
The display at Kirkcaldy Galleries tells the story of Rutherglen Ladies, a trailblazing Scottish women’s football team in the 1920s and 30s.
It features Cardenden star May Watson, whose great-granddaughter Carolyn Johnston works at the museum.
And Fife curators hope it will inspire visitors to donate items and stories to a new women’s football archive.
The museum wants to capture how the female game has grown locally over the years and build a clearer picture of its development
The display runs in Kirkcaldy from March 8 to 30 before transferring to Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Museum in April.
And archivists say it can be a catalyst to help fill knowledge gaps in the history of women’s football in Fife.
Fife women’s football teams flourished despite ban
A century ago, Rutherglen Ladies battled against the odds just to play.
The English Football Association had banned the game, deeming it “quite unsuitable for females”.
And a Scottish FA ban followed 20 years later.
Probably one of the best lady footballers in Britain.”
Excerpt from May Watson’s newspaper obituary.
Despite that, Fife women flourished, with teams in Kirkcaldy, Lochore, Newburgh and Freuchie.
May Watson, later Wyse, played for Bowhill Ladies before joining Rutherglen.
A newspaper article at the time reported: “Bowhill is one of the few villages that can boast of having a progressive female community not afraid of emulating the men…it has a go-ahead ladies’ football team.”
May was later described in a newspaper obituary of 1951 as “probably one of the best lady footballers in Britain.”
Kirkcaldy museum worker’s illustrious football links
She toured Scotland and Ireland with Rutherglen FC and also played in the Scottish ladies team that defeated England.
Carolyn says the exhibition opening will be a proud moment for her.
She said: “I am so pleased the story of Rutherglen Ladies is being widely told in Fife and very proud of my great-granny’s role in it.
“She was, by all accounts, a remarkable woman.”
May is not the only illustrious footballer in Carolyn’s family.
Her uncle, Willie Johnston, starred for Scotland, Rangers, West Bromwich Albion and Hearts, winning a European Cup Winners’ Cup medal in 1972.
How to donate memorabilia to Fife women’s football archive
Rutherglen Ladies were led by captain Sadie Smith, grandmother of singer-songwriter Eddie Reader.
As well as touring Ireland, they played exhibition games in front of thousands and raised money for charity.
The exhibition traces the team’s development from its inception in 1921 to its disbanding in 1939.
It also explores the lives of the manager James H Kelly and the players themselves.
Anyone with information should email localstudies.kirkcaldy@onfife.com
Conversation