COPA 71 1971 Womens World Cup documentary intro by BBC

England women's football trailblazers talk about their treatment surrounding the COPA 1971 in Mexico and the challenge of finding lost footage.
(see also reunion from 2020)
• REUNITED: 1971 Mexico ...

[@merseydave1]

I am fortunate to know of this, I found out about this in the late 90s ... believe it or not, it was the W.F.A the Women's Football Association who did not support the unofficial England Team. When they came back, the Manager Harry Batt (A Great Man) was banned for life and the players up to two years!.

[@joseluis-dj7ur]

Truth is the footage hadnt been closed since 1971.
It was on televisa's archives.
The biggest broadcating company in latin america which explains the good quality of the film.
They had been showing it intermitently thru the years because the tournament had been promoted by them as a plausible show for the summer of that year.
It was an idea that had arised from a tournament that had took place in Italy the year before following the world cup.
Seemed like a good idea since the mexican girls had done well and the TV moguls thought they could have a good audience.
That was the truly first crack at an international womens competition.
But that one is the real forgotten tournament.
No footage cause there was no TV giant behind the games.
They werent even played in professional stadiums but in school pitches.
England played in that one too, so it would be fair enough to give those girls their due recognition too.

[@FedericoDLP]

The matches in Mexico City were played in one of the biggest stadiums in the world the Azteca stadium. On seeing the film, the stadium outside Mexico City does not look like a school stadium at all. It may have been the 'Chivas' stadium.