Meet the greatest player you’ve never seen.
Our #WeSeeYou Network continues to celebrate inspirational women in football, and this International Women’s Day, through the power of AI, we’re shining a light on the legendary Lily Parr – the greatest football player you’ve never seen.
In conversation with Chelsea FC legend Karen Carney, we have used state of the art AI technology to reimagine Lily Parr with striking fidelity - bringing past and present trailblazers of the game together to inspire future generations. Drawing on the expertise of leading women’s football historian, Jean Williams, we have meticulously re-created Lily, ensuring her story, likeness and personality are authentically brought to life on screen.
A factory girl by day and trailblazer by night, Lily Parr defied the odds and revolutionised the women’s game, laying the foundations for the sport today. With a playing career spanning over 30 years, Lily Parr scored over 900 goals (that’s more than Ronaldo!), played to crowds of 46,000+ and stood tall against adversity, continuing to play when the English Football Association (the FA) banned women’s football in 1921, for 50 years! Lily Parr is considered one of the country’s greatest players of her generation. And few knew her story, until now.
Alongside this iconic content, we also teamed up with leading UK football economists on a new study dubbed ‘The Play Gap’. This study revealed that over half (52%) of Brits were not aware of the 50 year ban on women’s football.
The controversial decision came into place on 5 December 1921, as The FA announced the ban on the women's game from being played at the professional grounds and pitches of clubs affiliated to The FA, stating ‘the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged’.
Partnering with football economists, Dr. James Reade, professor of Economics at Reading University, and Dr. Steven Brand, an academic economist at the University of Plymouth, the study found the cost of the ban to be an estimated £37.5 million in missed annual revenue and potential investment in today’s game – equivalent to almost an entire season’s revenue (£48m season 2022/23)
The findings come as new research conducted by Three showed that 61% believe women’s football does not have the same cultural significance as men’s football in the UK, with most (60%) believing that the potential of women’s football has been hindered by the ban. Our #WeSeeYou Network continues to fly in the face of these challenges aiming to bring more balance to football and recognition for the brilliant women in this space. We did uncover that 63% of fans believe that the English Women’s National Team will win a World Cup before the English Men’s National Team. We’re big fans of this!
Want to help us celebrate women in football with the #WeSeeYou Network? Do you know a Passionate Player, Committed Coach or Media Mastermind that you’d like to shine a light on? Have your say and nominate now….
Check out the #WeSeeYou Network and nominate a woman who deserves to be seen before nominations close on Monday 31 March 2025.
