Gail Newsham

Location: Preston | UK

Author, historian, sportsperson, campaigner – just a few words to summarise the achievements of the inspirational Gail Newsham.

Gail’s book ‘In a League of Their Own’ explores the history of the Dick, Kerr Ladies Football Club, the most successful women’s team of all time.

In 1972 Gail began playing in a football team; the FA’s ban on the women’s game was only lifted the year before. Almost twenty years later in 1991 Gail met Brenda Eastwood, a former Dick, Kerr FC player, while organising an international women’s football tournament, the Lancashire Trophy.

The meeting inspired Gail to organise a reunion of the team, which took place in 1992 as part of the Preston Guild celebrations – and earned Gail a nomination for Lancashire Woman of the Year.

A modest, tireless campaigner, Gail’s hard work led to Lily Parr becoming the first woman to be inducted into the National Football Museum Hall in Fame in 2002 – a sculpture of Lily is inside the building in Manchester.

Gail’s strong links to the University of Central Lancashire involve working closely with the School of Sport and Wellbeing and the Lancashire School of Business and Enterprise, as well as a shared partner in Preston North End Football Club.

She is a welcome addition to the Creative Communities Group.