50 Women in Sport

Jean Williams is a British sports historian and author specialising in Women's history, sport and literature, sportswear and motorsport. Having previously taught English for a decade, Williams is a senior research fellow at the International Centre for Sport History and Culture, De Montfort University. She also acts as a historical consultant to the National Football Museum, particularly for elections to the English Football Hall of Fame. Though mainly known for her work on women's football, Williams has produced a range of material on the history of sports and the social contexts of events: these include articles on a collection of early modern sporting poems and 1950s British Bridge to a chapter on the Indianapolis 500 motor race in the United States. Williams has also looked at women's motor racing for a special edition on Britain's motorists published in 2014. In terms of public history, Williams is very interested in the Midlands, writing of Leicestershire cricketer George Geary for 'Our Sporting Life', an exhibition held at Curve Theatre in February 2011. Williams is author of 'A Game For Rough Girls: A History of Women's Football in England' (Routledge 2003) and 'A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football' (Berg 2007). Her main projects for 2010-11 included a research monograph called A Contemporary History of Women's Sport (Routledge Research, 2011) and a 17,000 Euro UEFA-funded project Women's Football, Europe and Professionalization 1971-2011. She is also writing a history of Britain's Women Olympians 1900-2012. Williams has acted as consultant to sports organisations, including FIFA and for the media, for example, the BBC Nation on Film Series, BBC Radio 4 and Edwardian Farm. Williams is also a UEFA 'B' Licence Coach and an FA Child Protection Tutor. Cheryl Robson is an award-winning writer, editor and filmmaker. She is the commissioning editor for the series of books '50 Women in...'. She was a finalist in the ITV National Diversity Awards 2019 for Lifetime Achievement. Fun fact: Her great-uncle was the footballing legend Ted Drake who played for Arsenal and England in the 1930s and became a manager for Chelsea.

"A lovely tribute to so many incredible women in sport. A great and inspiring read."--Alison Kirvan, sports writer and editor "Author"; 'Beginning with a fascinating overview of the history of women in sport, Gemma Lumsdaine's 50 Women in Sport is a timely reference book. It catalogues the rise of women's sport, featuring many famous sportswomen including Paralympians across a diverse range of sports. It contains profiles of twenty-five women, notably the recently retired Serena Williams and our very own Cathy Freeman. It is accompanied by many colourful photographs and interesting information about various female champions. It captures the remarkable legacy of multiple women in sports from many nationalities and has a handy Index, making it a fine resource that will inspire all readers and sports fans alike. The interviews of women athletes like Meg Lanning are insightful and make this a four and a half star read rating. My thanks to Supernova Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.' -**** Michael B, reviewer NetGalley; '50 Women in Sport far exceeded what I was expecting. A few biographical sketches, some nice photographs, maybe a nice mix of sports and eras. Well, I got all that and more. This offers a wonderful short history of women in sport, highlighting the pioneers that many haven't heard of as well as the more contemporary stars we have. Then we get some excellent historical photographs and the biographical sketches tell not just about the woman's life and career but places her in her historical period, obstacles that faced all athletes plus the ones only women faced. The interviews with contemporary figures were wonderful. One major contrast with the stars of the past and our current ones is who gets to frame their stories. While this book is an excellent example of recovering the lives of the past athletes, today's athletes have more opportunity to tell their own stories, to highlight the positives and negatives of being a female athlete in this world. So the interviews were a very welcome format. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in women's sports, from the history to the current range of sports. This would be especially wonderful for young budding female athletes, as both empowerment and knowing the shoulders upon which they stand.' - ***** Jack M, Reviewer Netgalley; 'GIRLS RUN THE WORLD!!!! I love this book!!! I loved reading about these amazing women & their accomplishments in sports and life.' -***** Lashanda C, Reviewer Netgalley; "I was enlightened by the book and some of the women's achievements and stories were incredible. I loved the fact I can pick it up and come back to it as each story is short. Well illustrated and a good read." - Denise Large, sports broadcast director; "A great book to acquire that shows some of the biggest sports stars in women's sports. I think this will be a very popular addition tonsgare sit( our readers and be an inspiration especially to women of all ages." Jill Speedman - Librarian;