Half Of Brits Not Aware Of The 50-Year Ban On Women’s Football

Cut off in her prime by the ban, Three UK has used AI to bring Lily Parr, England’s greatest player you’ve never seen, into the present day to inspire the next generation of female footballers.

• A new study from Three reveals that half of Brits didn’t know women’s football had been banned for 50 years, and as a result of this half (44%) admit they cannot name a single female footballer
• To help close the gap and inspire the next generation, Three has reimagined female football legend Lily Parr, using innovative AI technology for a one-of-a-kind interview with modern-day trailblazer Karen Carney, as part of its #WeSeeYou Network with Chelsea FC Women
• Three’s new ‘Play Gap’ Report 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)

A new study released today revealed that over half of the nation (52%) weren’t aware that women’s football was banned in the UK.

The English Football Association (FA) banned the sport from 1921-1971 – this has been dubbed ‘The Play Gap’ by Three’s report, due to the cultural and economic effect that ban has had. 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’.

Despite the growing success of women’s football, most fans (60%) believe that the potential of women’s football has been hindered by the ban. Three’s research reveals that 69% of fans believe women’s football doesn’t receive enough media coverage, while 65% say female players aren’t promoted as role models in the same way as their male counterparts. 

This lack of representation has real effects – almost half of the nation (44%) admit they can’t name a single professional female footballer. Yet, there is strong public belief in the women’s game, with most Brits (63%) saying the Lionesses are more likely to win a World Cup before the men’s national team. 

As part of the mobile network’s #WeSeeYou Network, an initiative in partnership with Chelsea FC Women that recognises and champions women in football, Three has reimagined Lily Parr, arguably one of England’s greatest players – estimated to have scored more than 960 goals in her career, which is more than Cristiano Ronaldo. By bringing her to the present day via AI technology for a never-before-seen inspirational conversation with former Chelea FC Women player turned TV presenter, Karen Carney, Three hopes to inspire the next generation of ‘Lily’s.

Women’s football historian and Professor of Sport at the University of Wolverhampton, Jean Williams, was first brought in to work with Three on the recreation of Lily Parr. By feeding the technology a series of archival information from Lily Parr and those who knew her, she helped to inform the personality and character of the AI responses.

The AI-powered version of Lily Parr was then brought to life using advanced digital motion technology combined with archival material and personal accounts to share her remarkable story with new audiences. The process began with restoring archival photos and footage of Lily to reveal her facial features in high resolution, bringing her likeness back into vivid detail. Multiple layers of advanced AI techniques were then applied to reconstruct her unique features into a high-resolution, colourised portrait. Where AI was unable to maintain authenticity or achieve the desired composition, traditional digital artistry was employed to refine and finalize the image with careful detailing and finishing touches.

To achieve the final result, Three partnered with an actor, whose performance helped capture Lily’s essence and enhance her digital recreation. This collaboration was paired with sophisticated AI networks, including facial landmark detection and 3D mapping. The seamless integration of these technologies enabled an ultra-realistic face-swap.

Speaking about her involvement in the campaign, Karen Carney said: “For many years women’s football faced challenges to be seen and celebrated, which would have given so many incredible players the opportunity to play and help grow the game. Legends like Lily Parr paved the way, and working with Three and the #WeSeeYou Network to bring her story to life has been an incredible experience. I was proud to be a part of this campaign, and I hope it inspires future generations to keep pushing forward.”

Aislinn O’Connor, Marketing Director at Three UK & Ireland said: “At Three, we are honoured to bring Lily Parr’s story to life using the very latest AI technology. By paying homage to the enormous legacy Lily has given us and laying foundations for so many sportswomen, we hope today’s launch inspires the next generation of female talent. Her message is as true today as it was then – we need more action to support women of all ages in sport. Through our partnership with Chelsea FC Women, Three’s #WeSeeYou Network is now in its third season and continues to grow, champion and provide opportunities for the all-too-often hidden women and the beautiful game.”

To examine the wider economic effects of the 50-year ban, Three partnered with football economists, Dr. James Reade, professor of Economics at Reading University, and Dr. Steven Brand, an economist at the University of Plymouth, for a unique report to calculate the growth opportunities of the women’s game in the UK.

The report created a bespoke model looking at several characteristics including matchday revenues, non-matchday revenues, stadium capacity etc, as the variables to characterise the WSL and its growth prospects.

For the 2022/3 season, the WSL’s economy-wide worth in terms of its contribution to employment income was £58.7m, roughly a 40% increase from the previous season.  Today, the ‘Play Gap’ report estimates that the corresponding value of the WSL for the 2024-2025 season is £85.7m, and if women’s football had not been banned, it would be worth £123.2m (a 44% increase). The report concludes that the UK economy has missed out on a potential annual £37.5m – this is the value of The Play Gap.

Furthermore, the women’s game within the UK would have benefited from an annual average attendance increase from 950k to 1.43M (50% increase). TV revenue would have also risen from £1.1M per club per season to up to £1.7M (58% increase) as the game would have continued to gain momentum with fans.

Speaking to the findings, Dr. James Reade said: “The women’s game is unique in its own right – as it should be. It bears some of the characteristics of various men’s competitions over their last few years, which allowed us to position it and think about where it is, and where it could have been without the ban. 

The most unique growth factor about the women’s game is the ability to expand and contract supply when so desired – moving to bigger or smaller stadiums as each match may dictate. Based on our findings, we think many key metrics could have been 30-40% bigger had it not been for the ban.”

As the first, women’s only Principal Partner of Chelsea FC Women, Three has set a new benchmark for how women’s team sponsorships should be treated – on equal footing with the men’s game. Continuing its commitment to the sport, Three remains the Official Telecommunications Partner of Chelsea FC, with its branding now front and centre on the reigning Women’s Super League champions’ training kit.

To watch Lily Parr in conversation with Karen Carney, visit Three UK’s YouTube channel.

For more information on Three’s #WeSeeYou Network and how to get involved please visit https://weseeyounetwork.co.uk/