Pioneers of women’s football to receive blue plaque in Luton

The first women to represent England at an international football tournament will be honoured with a blue plaque.

The FA and Luton Heritage Society will unveil it in September at Crawley Green Recreation Ground, which was home to the Chiltern Valley Ladies.

The plaque will honour that team, as well as the British Independents – which played between 1967 and 1972 – and team founders Harry and June Batt.

Their son Keith Batt said the honour was “tremendously emotional.”

Speaking of his parents’ work on women’s football, Mr Batt said: “Had we not taken those first steps back then, we wouldn’t have what we have today.”

Women’s football was banned until 1970, when the Women’s Football Association (WFA) persuaded the FA to overturn it.

Luton bus driver Harry Batt had defied the ban and formed teams to represent England in overseas tournaments after seeing how popular women’s football was in other countries.

His various teams were made from players he scouted from across the country but the majority came from Luton Ladies, Southampton Ladies and the team he managed, Chiltern Valley Ladies based at Crawley Green.

After taking part in the 1971 Women’s World Cup, Mr Batt – who died in 1985 – received a lifetime ban from coaching.

His son Keith, who starred as the team’s mascot, remembered how deeply his father cared about the sport.

He said: “I have seen him go through anguish, elation, it was his life, he was passionate.”

Gill Sayell, from Milton Keynes, was 14 years old when she represented England in Mexico City in 1971.

While she said it was “massive” for her team to be honoured with the plaque, she said it was important the man who scouted her was “recognised at last”.

“Harry was there for women’s football when nobody else was, he wasn’t in it for himself,” she said.

Mary Blake, who played for Luton Ladies and represented England during a European tournament in 1969, said she was “over the moon for Harry more than anybody”.

“He bought me my first pair of football boots – that’s what he was like,” she added.

The FA said all known members of the 1969, 1970 and 1971 teams would be invited to the unveiling of the plaque on 16 September.