In poetic coincidence with International Women’s Day, a new documentary entitled Copa 71, will grace our cinemas for the first time today (Friday, 8 March).
The film follows the story of the 1971 Women’s World Cup in Mexico which featured a pioneering young England team, shunned from English Football by the FA as a result of their participation in the competition.
The team, coached by Harry Batt, played in front of crowds as large as 95,000 in the Azteca Stadium. The Lionesses faced Argentina and the hosts Mexico during their time at the tournament, scoring three goals along the way.
Ahead of the documentary’s release, the Bedford Independent spoke to Jan Emms, a Bedfordian member of the trailblazing Lionesses, who was just 19 during the Mexico World Cup.
As centre-forward, Jan scored two of England’s three goals in their cross-continental fixtures. “How many people can say that they scored a goal in front of 95,000 fans at the Azteca Stadium,” she said.
When asked whether she believed that there would be this much interest in the tournament nearly 53 years on, Jan replied: “ No, never in a million years, if you told me that there would be a film about it at the time, I would have laughed at you.
“There is wonderful recognition now.”
Jan went on to say that she feels “very proud” when she thinks back to 1971 as they were “just kids” at the time, and had “never dreamt of playing in front of that many people”.
With the exposure that the women’s game has today, we asked Jan whether she would like to be able to play now. She said, “I would love to, when we watch the Lionesses, we are very proud”.
Speaking about Copa 71, Jan said: “The film was terrific, I’ve seen it twice. They researched everything really well and interviewed all of the players.”
She finished by adding, “The memories will never be forgotten, it was a special experience.”
In a segment on this week’s One Show (BBC1, Tuesday, 5 March), former England Women’s captain, Alex Scott was asked about the ongoing legacy of the ’71 Lionessess.
She said: “Once a Lioness, always a Lioness – we always knew we were standing on the shoulders of giants,” which perfectly encapsulates the magnitude of this event in the course of English football.
Copa 71 is on in the Vue in Bedford on Friday, 8 March with tickets still available.
