According to Greek mythology, Atalanta was abandoned at birth and reared by a bear. She grew up to be a mighty huntress with an interesting attitude towards suitors: she would challenge them to a race, and if they beat her they would win her hand in marriage. If they lost, however, Atalanta would kill them. When, in 1920, a group of young women in Huddersfield met to form a sports club they chose to name it after this interesting female role model. This is a brief account of the formation and early activities of this club. If any reader is able to add to the story I would be very grateful if they would contact me.
The Atalanta Sports Club was formed towards the end of November 1920, when a group of like-minded women got together "to provide games for the women of Huddersfield, to foster a sporting spirit, and a love of honour among its members." At that first meeting a committee was established under the chairmanship of Constance Waller, and the new club set about securing premises and raising funds. A second general meeting took place at 32, Westgate on 8th December 1920. It was reported that although they had not been able to arrange a field, the Education Committee had agreed to allow the club to use the netball courts at Hillhouse Central, Birkby Council School and the Girls' High School on Saturday afternoons and holidays. It was decided therefore to commence sporting activities with netball on Saturday 11th December, and a football would be provided so that "those who wanted to learn to play football later could kick it about among themselves to get into the way of kicking a ball, until it was possible to get a football coach."
The netball match went ahead as planned, as did the football. The Huddersfield Examiner reported that "the footballers thoroughly enjoyed themselves in spite of (or because) of the field being very muddy and slimy, and all are keen to play again. They were not so much playing the game as learning to kick the ball." It was also reported that the committee had been successful in obtaining the use of the Sandhouse football field at Crosland Moor for future practices.
On 22nd December the club held a dance at the Crosland Lodge Academy, with the dual purpose of raising funds and allowing the members to get to know one another. The Christmas period was not just a time of festivities however; despite pouring rain the footballers turned out for practice four times before the end of the year, although the netball teams were not quite so hardy.
New Year's Day 1921 saw the club's first attempt at staging a practice match at the Sandhouse ground. Teams of nine-a-side put on a display resulting in a 1-1 draw, which surprised the reporter for the Huddersfield Examiner, who wondered where the girls had gained their knowledge of football, as only one member had ever played football before. On the same day the netball section played a 10-a-side game, indicating that the club now had at least 38 playing members.
The following Saturday saw a second practice match take place at Sandhouse, this time in high winds and rain which forced nearly all the play in the second half to one side of the field. From the description of the game, it appeared that tactics were being worked out, the reporter commenting that the wingers' approach to play changed after half-time and they indulged in more dribbling. The game ended with the 'Golds' defeating the 'Blues' 2-1.
There was a change of venue for the practice match on 15th January. The teams assembled at the Girls' High School for a match on a very heavy and muddy field, which took a great deal of energy out of the players. For the first time an individual player was named. Miss Edgley, the right winger for the Blues, was said to have played in a ladies' team before, and it was evident from the skill with which she scored twice that she had some experience in the game. The Golds scored from the penalty spot, but failed to equalise with a second penalty which was saved by the Blues goalkeeper.
No practice took place on 22nd January, the team reportedly watching Huddersfield Town playing Bradford in order to pick up some tips. A match on 29th January resulted in another win for the Blues, this time by 5 goals to 2.
On 5th February the club's practice was attended by Mr Street, Secretary of the Huddersfield League, who had agreed to train the ladies. 24 players turned up, so for the first time the game was able to kick off with two full elevens on the field. The Blues won again, this by by 4 goals to 1, scored by Raynor (3) and Waller for the Blues, and centre-forward Steele for the Golds. After the match Mr Street was asked for his opinion on the play and possibility of the girls holding their own in a match against Bath Ladies at Easter. He said that they could only do it by having ball practice and physical training twice a week. He wasn't disappointed with the play, but most of the girls were in need of physical training.
The next practice match was to take place at Sandhouse on 12th February, but the ground became unavailable at the last minute, and it was only on the Saturday morning that alternative arrangements were made to train at the Acre Mills ground at Salendine Nook. A 1-1 draw was the result, the goals being scored by Raynor for the Blues and Beaumont for the Golds. Raynor's goal was described as a fast shot from the front of goal which went over the keeper's head. The netball section of the club were continuing to play regularly, and it was disclosed that a hockey team might be started shortly as several members were keen to play.
The practice match at Sandhouse on 26th February was described as a fast game; the girls were "gradually getting into the way of combination, but they have a good deal to learn, and their play would be smarter if they could trap the ball." The Blues emerged the victors once more , by 4-0 and their third goal, scored by Raynor, was described as one of the best goals yet scored. Following this match the first team was fixed as follows: Lee, Mellor, Mrs Barraclough, Mrs Kenworthy, Mitchell, Stanley, Edgley, Steele, Raynor, Beaumont, Waller.
The Huddersfield Examiner ceased reporting on practice games after this point, and the club's next appearance in the newspaper columns was on Thursday 24th March, in a preview of the game against Bath Ladies which was to take place the following day, Good Friday. Very brief biographical details were given for some of the players: The goalkeeper, Ethel Lee, was described as a Crosland Moor player whose "safe kick and unhesitating clearances give great delight to the spectators." The team captain, Mrs Barraclough, also from Crosland Moor, was at left back and one of the strong points of her play was her perfect understanding with the goalkeeper. At right back was Hilda Clarke, a Thongsbridge girl with "a remarkably long kick... she gives one the impression of being afraid of using her own strength." Lily Mitchell, at centre half, "works in admirable conjunction with the wing forwards." Of the forwards, the right winger, Rhoda Wilkinson, was said to be "the most interesting and most versatile." (Versatile indeed - the report also revealed that she had been picked to play at centre half for a combined Lancashire and Yorkshire team against the Dick, Kerr Ladies at Leeds on April 6th.)
The forthcoming match also attracted the attention of the Daily Mirror, which carried a picture of the Atalanta team under the headline "New Rivals to Dick Kerr's Eleven." The short paragraph which accompanied this picture reported that the club was running a water polo side and a cricket eleven as well as the football team. (No mention of netball however.)
The match against Bath Ladies took place at Leeds Road, the home of Huddersfield Town FC, and as a spectacle it was a resounding success. 15,000 spectators turned up to see their local girls defeat the ladies of Bath by a single goal. The match reporter initially referred to the game as a calm affair, which he ascribed to the fact that the Bath team had travelled through the night, but then described an incident in which one of the four Harrison sisters playing for Bath seized the Atalanta goalkeeper round the waist and hurled her onto her back. Just before half time an attack was mounted by the Atalanta forwards which resulted in Broadhead scoring with a low shot into the corner of the net.
The second half saw Atalanta once more having the best of the play. The Bath goalkeeper was having difficulty getting the ball into the air whenever she kicked it, and the Atalanta forwards seized on every opportunity. Bath nearly scored though an own goal, when an Atalanta defender miskicked and the ball struck the upright, but this was their only chance of the game. The Atalanta defence was too strong, in particular Hilda Clarke: "The services of the woman trainer were required upon two occasions owing to the havoc caused to the Bath attack by the vigorous Miss Clarke." In the end there was no further score, and this inaugural game ended with a satisfying win for the home team.
Women's football matches at this time were generally staged for the benefit of charities, a pattern which had been established by the munition workers' teams of WW1. The end of the war had brought no end to the need for charities, and there was scarcely a town in the country which did not have a Distress Fund administered by the local municipality. Huddersfield was no exception, and following the success of the Bath ladies visit the Atalanta Club and the Mayor's Distress Fund Committee made determined efforts to arrange another attractive fixture. The opponents most likely to draw a large crowd were either the Dick Kerr team, or a French side which was due to tour England during Whit week. Unfortunately Dick Kerr were booked up until the end of the season, the earliest date they could offer being in September, and Huddersfield Town intended to re-turf their pitch during Whit week. It was decided therefore to approach the Directors of the Huddersfield Rugby Club (Northern Union) to see if they would allow the use of their stadium at Fartown (a suburb of Huddersfield) for a match against the French XI.
In the meantime the Atalanta club were to experience a new first - a competitive game away from home. This took place at Thrum Hall, Halifax, on 25th April 1921, the opposition being provided by St Helens Ladies. A crowd of 8,000 turned up to watch the encounter, which was in aid of the Halifax Ex-Servicemen's Association, and £300 was taken at the turnstiles. St Helens were a long-established side, who had played on many occasions against Dick Kerr, and were therefore a tougher proposition than Bath. In the first half they proved too much for Atalanta, and despite a spirited defence the Huddersfield team had conceded 3 goals by half-time. In the second half there seemed to be a different spirit in the Yorkshire girls, particularly in the half back line. Kenworthy at right half delighted the crowd with her tackling and her intelligent distribution of the ball to the forwards, Mitchell at centre-half played a steady game and combined well with Kenworthy, and Stanley at left-half "tackled untiringly and gave some good passes to the left wing." From one of these passes Constance Waller at outside-left made a run from the half way line, dodged the opposing half back and scored with a low shot. This lifted the spirits of the Atalanta team, though they did not score again, and the game finished 3-1 to St Helens.
St Helens at the time were possibly the second strongest team in the country, and to hold them to a 3-1 scoreline must certainly have heartened the Atalanta players. It also lifted their ambitions, as their next game was to be against Dick Kerr, undoubtedly the leading ladies' football team in the country. The match was scheduled to take place at Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday, and in the week before the game the Atalanta team had no fewer than four practice sessions, at which Mr Street was assisted by two reserve players from Huddersfield Town. In their preview of the match however the Huddersfield Examiner conceded that the Atalanta team had no players to match the two Dick Kerr stars, Lily Parr and Jennie Harris. Parr, it reported "can centre the ball from the touchline as accurately and evidently with as great power as many professional footballers."
Atalanta made a number of changes to the forward line for this match, bringing in three newcomers to competitive football - N. Edgley, Ada Beaumont and A. Copley in place of Whitwam, Rayner and Waller. In the event Rhoda Wilkinson was unable to play and Whitwam returned to the side in her place. As might be expected, the game was very one-sided. Dick Kerr had played 52 competitive games in season 1920-21 alone; Atalanta had played 2. The only surprise was the low score; instead of going into double figures, as was their custom, the Preston ladies restricted themselves to a 4-0 scoreline, and their own goal was never in serious danger. In fact, the newspaper report of the match stated that the Dick Kerr goalkeeper did not touch the ball during the whole of the game, which is probably an exaggeration, but gives an indication of the unevenness of the contest.
The negotiations to bring the touring French side to Huddersfield had proven successful, and on 18th May they faced Atalanta at the Fartown1 stadium. This venue, the stronghold of Rugby Union (Northern) in Huddersfield had seen top-class soccer only once before - in 1882 when a FA Cup semi-final was staged there. Atalanta's opponents were largely drawn from the Fémina2 club in Paris, which was founded in 1912 as a gymnastics club for ladies. Following the First World War, the club had expanded its activities into rugby, swimming, athletics, cycling, basketball and football, and the football team had established a reputation as the top team in France.
From the start the French ladies had the upper hand, and for the first fifteen minutes of the game the Atalanta defence was tested again and again, but proved equal to the task. There then followed one of those incidents which must have given the home fans something to talk about for days afterwards; a rush by the Atalanta forwards resulted in the ball being driven against one goalpost, bouncing straight across the goalmouth to hit the other, and landing on the goal line where it continued to spin before the goalkeeper could clear it. It seemed impossible that the ball could have avoided crossing the line at some point, but no goal was given. After this shock the French forwards were quickly on the attack again, and the captain, Bracquemond, dribbled the ball from midfield almost to the goal line before letting fly with a shot which Wilkinson had no chance of saving.
The second half was marred by an injury to Kenworthy, who had to leave the field for a considerable portion of the game, but the weakened Atalanta defence managed to prevent the French from scoring again. Several players were commended for their play, but it was the French centre-half, Pomiès, who seemed to be "Woman of the match." 3
As was customary on such occasions, the match was followed by a celebratory dinner at the Masonic Hall, hosted by the Mayor, which was accompanied by much toasting of the Entente Cordiale and singing of national anthems. As a spectacle the match had been a great success, and from a financial viewpoint it was also successful, raising £424 8s 6d (gross) for the Mayor's Distress Fund.
The match at Fartown marked the end of the season for the Atalanta football team, and a cricket team took the summer. Fans of the football team were concerned to know that the team would resume its activities when the new season arrived, and numerous enquiries were made to the offices of the Huddersfield Examiner, so much so that on 30th July it reassured its readers that the football team had started training again, and would be hosting a match against the Dick Kerr team in September.
For the opening game of the 1921-22 season Atalanta travelled to Brighouse to play Hey's Brewery of Bradford. The match took place on 16th September at the ground of Blakeborough FC, but the result has so far proven elusive. The team for the new season was announced as follows: N. Wilkinson remained in goal; N. Edgley, a former Peterborough player and previously a forward, was now at right back; Mrs Barraclough remained as captain and left full back; right half was now E. Wilson, left half was H. Broadhead, and centre half was M. Hogton (but this was, in fact Minnie Kenworthy, the previous holder of the position, reverting to her maiden name). The forward line had one new name, M. Taylor, at outside right, but the remaining positions were occupied by familiar names - Rhoda Wilkinson, E. Steele, Ada Beaumont and Constance Waller.
A match was scheduled for September 29th at Barnsley in aid of St Dunstan's Hostel for the Blind. The opposition was to be "Mr William Batten's Ladies," a team previously unheard of. This game, for whatever reason, does not appear to have come off, and the next time that the Atalanta team took to the field was on 3rd October when they met Dick Kerr for a second time. The match, which took place at Leeds Road, was formally kicked off by Alderman Woolven, Mayor of Huddersfield and Honorary President of the Atalanta club. It was a disappointment for two reasons; firstly, Dick Kerr cast aside the restraint they had shown on the first meeting of the clubs, and thumped 10 goals past the hapless Atalanta goalkeeper, conceding none in return. Secondly, the attendance was low - at 1,800 possibly the smallest crowd that Dick Kerr had performed for, and only £110 (gross) was raised for the designated local charity, the Cinderella Society.
This prompted the secretary of the club, K. Edgley (father/mother of N. Edgley?) to write an apologetic letter to the Huddersfield Examiner on 5th October advising that as the gate had been so poor, owing to the weather and the early kick-off time (5pm), the club intended to stage another match as soon as possible for the benefit of the Cinderella Society. The letter also the number of games which the team had played for charity, raising £2,000 in total. This list included matches at Hull and Dewsbury played between the games against the French XI and Dick Kerr. Details of these games are still being sought.
After this date no details of matches involving Atalanta were reported in the Huddersfield Examiner for the remainder of 1921. The paper was generally sympathetic to the club, which suggests that they encountered genuine difficulties in arranging fixtures. Certainly by this time voices were being raised within footballing circles against women playing, with a whole range of spurious medical justifications being quoted, but at the root of the problem there were two issues; (a) General prejudice amongst the male population against the advancement of women's rights and (b) Concern, possibly justified, at the expenses being taken by the Dick Kerr manager whenever his team performed. This led, on 5th December 1921, to the Football Association banning women's teams from affiliated grounds. The response from some of the teams was to form their own association, the English Ladies' Football Association. The history of this body is discussed elsewhere on this site.
Following the FA decision Mrs Barraclough gave an interview to the Huddersfield Examiner at the club's training headquarters in Cowlersley. Insofar as Atalanta was concerned, she refuted the FA's claim that "an excessive proportion of the receipts are absorbed in expenses and an inadequate percentage devoted to charitable objects." As an example she referred to the visit of the French team in May. The French team's expenses had been met by a private individual, the celebratory dinner had been paid for by Alderman Woolven, and every penny of the gate receipts had been handed over to the Mayor's Distress Fund. Ordinarily the only expenses paid to players were travelling expenses and compensation for time off work. She didn't see that the ban would cause any great hardship to Atalanta; the club had its own ground, and didn't want to play more than the occasional match against outside opponents, being content to stage matches within the club membership.
Atalanta affiliated to the English Ladies' Football Association, and two of the club's players, Whitwam and Barraclough, were selected to play in a match at Grimsby in 21st January 1922. Whitwam was to play at right half for the ELFA team, and Barraclough at left back for Grimsby.
The club also entered the ELFA Cup competition which was launched in January 1922, and in the first round were drawn away to another local ladies' team - Huddersfield Ladies. The history of this club is unknown; mention of it first appeared in the Huddersfield Examiner on 10th March 1922. The match took place on 11th March at the Moor End ground, Lockwood, and was described as "the best girls' football match that has been played in Huddersfield." Atalanta were the 2-1 winners with goals from Edgley and Waller.
In the second round of the cup Atalanta were drawn at home to Chell, near Stoke on Trent, but before this game was played they entertained Hey's of Bradford once more at Cowlersley. The match took place on Good Friday, 14th April 1922, but bad weather prevented a large crowd from attending. Atalanta started well, scoring first through Walker, but Heys hit responded quickly with an equaliser, and then scored another three goals in quick succession, mainly though the efforts of their left-winger who was giving the Atalanta defence the runaround. Shortly before half-time she retired with a twisted knee, and in the second half Heys were nothing like as dangerous. Nevertheless they managed to prevent Atalanta from scoring until the last fifteen minutes, when a corner was floated into the goalmouth and in trying to clear it the Heys goalkeeper and full back succeeded in putting it in the net. The final score was Heys 4, Atalanta 2.
The 2nd round cup-tie against Chell was played on Saturday 22nd April, at Cowlersley. Atalanta were the superior side, and had most of the play in mid field, but their kicking in front of goal was, according to the Huddersfield Examiner, "decidedly weak." Fortunately the right wing pair, Olive Walker (inside) and Marion Taylor (outside), "combined excellently, and played good football." Atalanta took the lead after five minutes through inside-left Quinn, and shortly before half time Chell equalised from a penalty. In the second half Atalanta too were awarded a penalty, which was taken by Stanley, and from the vantage point of the reporter the ball appeared to be two feet over the line before the Chell goalkeeper scooped it out. The referee did not concur however, and no goal was awarded. This spurred Atalanta on, and after a series of passes Walker scored with a low shot from a very narrow angle. The final minutes of the game were taken up with a series of corner for Atalanta, but they were unable to increase their lead.
The newspaper report of this game stated that Atalanta were now in the semi-final of the cup, but this was incorrect; on 5th May six clubs went into the third round draw and Atalanta, along with Ediswan of Enfield, were fortunate enough to receive a bye.
Atalanta also entered a second, more limited competition - the Bradford Charity Shield, along with 5 other clubs: Keighley, Doncaster, Heys, Huddersfield Ladies and Huddersfield Alexandra 4. Atalanta received a bye in the first round, which saw Huddersfield Ladies defeat Keighley 6-1, and Heys defeated Huddersfield Alexandra 4-1. In the second round they were drawn against Heys. The match was played on 17th May at the Greenfield Athletic ground 5 at Dudley Hill, Bradford, and Heys once again put four past the Atalanta goalkeeper, this time without reply.
Thanks to the bye they received in the third round of the ELFA cup, Atalanta went in to the draw for the semi-finals and were drawn against Doncaster and Bentley 6. The tie took place at the City Athletic ground in Wakefield on 3rd June, and Atalanta suffered yet another 4-0 defeat, thanks to goals from Maggie Murphy, Emma Smith, Lucy Bromage and Lily Smith.
The match at Wakefield is the the last Atalanta performance I have been able to uncover. The ELFA ceased to operate later in 1922, and without a supporting infrastructure, and in the face of increasing hostility from the football establishment, it is possible that the lady footballers of Atalanta reverted to playing matches internally. It seems that the club itself continued for a few years more; according to the Centenary History of the Broad Oak Cricket Club, based at Linthwaite, in 1926 a new building was provided for changing rooms and scoreboard. "It was a wooden pavilion, bought from the Atalanta Ladies club, and the total cost of buying and converting it was £144." This brief footnote may mark the end of the Atalanta Ladies' Club of Huddersfield.
© Patrick Brennan 2008
Notes
1. Fartown Stadium still exists (just), and is currently used as a training ground for amateur rugby. (Google Earth 53° 39' 42" N; 1° 47' 02" W)
2. The Fémina club is still in existence, though football no longer forms part of its activities. Its website is here
3. Carmen Pomiès was so talented that she was later persuaded to join the Dick Kerr club.
4. Huddersfield Alexandra also entered the ELFA cup, being knocked out in the first round by Stoke United. Two members of the team which played in this game had previously appeared for Atalanta, and it is possible therefore that the team was a second XI (as indeed was Stoke United).
5. Greenfield had been the original home of Bradford Northern Rugby Club, and at this time was being used as a trotting and athletics track. Despite having probably the second strongest ladies' team in the country, the Bradford establishment at this time was not at all appreciative of its lady footballers. Heys' matches went unreported in the Bradford Telegraph, and the Yorkshire Rugby Union even refused the use of the Lidget Green ground for the match between Heys and the French tourists. Bradford was also the preferred venue for the ELFA cup final, but the association were unable to secure a ground and it was switched to Stoke.
6. This club was formed during the coal dispute of 1921, and unlike most such teams, it continued to play after the settlement of the dispute and developed into a very strong side - even beating the redoubtable Heys on 13th May 1922.
The following are the details of 20 matches I have so far uncovered.
| Date | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1921-01-01 | Team A 1 Team B 1 | 1st practice match (9 a side) at Sandhouse. (teams not named in newspaper report) |
| 1921-01-08 | Golds 1 Blues 2 | Practice match at Sandhouse. |
| 1921-01-15 | Golds 1 Blues 3 | Practice match at the Girls' High School |
| 1921-01-29 | Golds 2 Blues 5 | Practice match (at Sandhouse?) |
| 1921-02-05 | Golds 1 Blues 4 | 1st practice match with two full elevens. scorers: Raynor (3), Waller for the Blues; Steele for the Golds |
| 1921-02-12 | Golds 1 Blues 1 | Practice match at Salendine Nook scorers: Raynor for the Blues; Beaumont for the Golds. |
| 1921-02-26 | Golds 0 Blues 4 | Practice match at Sandhouse. |
| 1921-03-25 | Atalanta 1 Bath Ladies 0 | Atalanta's first competitive match, played at Leeds Road, Huddersfield, before 15,246 spectators scorer: Broadhead Atalanta: Ethel Lee, Hilda Clarke, L. Barraclough, Minnie Kenworthy, Lily Mitchell, Stanley, Rhoda Wilkinson, Edgely, Steele, Broadhead, Constance Waller. Bath: Gilbert, Wallace, Rawlings, Long, Harrison, V. Gilbert, E. Harrison, Clapp, Beames, A. Harrison, T. Harrison. |
| 1921-04-25 | St Helens 3 Atalanta 1 | Played at Thrum Hall, Halifax, before 8,000 spectators in aid of the Halifax Ex-Servicemen's Association scorer for Atalanta: Waller St Helens; E. Wain, M. Makin, L. Ashcroft, E. Britch, M. Rawson, S. Fairclough, H. Swift, L. Akers, S. Chorley, N. Swift, L. Roden Atalanta: N. Wilkinson, Hilda Clarke, L. Barraclough, Minnie Kenworthy, Lily Mitchell, A. Stanley, Rhoda Wilkinson, E. Whitwam, E. Steele, A. Rayner, Constance Waller. |
| 1921-05-04 | Dick Kerr 4 Atalanta 0 | Played at Hillsborough, Sheffield, before 25,000 spectators Atalanta: N. Wilkinson, Hilda Clarke, L. Barraclough, Minnie Kenworthy, Lily Mitchell, A. Stanley, N. Edgely, E. Whitwam, E. Steele, Ada Beaumont, A. Copley |
| 1921-05-14 | Hull Ladies 2 Atalanta 0 | Played at White City, Hull Hull: Fawcett, Osterman, Palframan, Cook, Burke, McCarthy, Dempster, Smales, Coggin, Cox, Esnouf Atalanta: Wilkinson, Barroclough, Clark, Stanley, Wilkinson, Senior, Copley, Beaumont, Dyson, Steel, Edgeley |
| 1921-05-18 | Atalanta 0 French XI 1 | played at Fartown, Huddersfield, before 8,832 spectators, raising £424 8s 6d (gross) for the Mayor's Distress Fund. The French XI were drawn mainly from the Fémina club of Paris. scorer: Bracquemond ( according to the Huddersfield Examiner), Laloz (according to l'Auto magazine). Atalanta: N. Wilkinson, Hilda Clarke, L. Barraclough, A. Senior, Minnie Kenworthy, A. Stanley, E. Steele, K. Edgely, Rhoda Wilkinson, A. Copley, Ada Beaumont French XI: Lévêque, Janiaud, Gillot, Rigal, Pomiès, Gisclard, Massabuau, Bracquemond (capt.), Laloz, Viani, Jeanniot. |
| 1921-09-16 | Atalanta v Hey's Brewery | Played at Blakeborough FC, Brighouse. |
| 1921-09-29 | Atalanta v Mr William Batten's Ladies | Scheduled to be played at Barnsley in aid of St Dunstan's Hostel for the Blind - this match does not appear to have taken place. |
| 1921-10-03 | Atalanta 0 Dick Kerr 10 | Played at Leeds Road, Huddersfield before 1,800 spectators, raising £110 (gross) for the Cinderella Society. scorers: F. Redford 5, L. Lee 3, L. Parr 2 |
| 1922-03-11 | Huddersfield Ladies 1 Atalanta 2 | ELFA Cup 1st round, played at the Moor End ground, Huddersfield scorers: Edgley, Waller for Atalanta; Cocker for Huddersfield Huddersfield Ladies: Sutcliffe, I. Dyson, M. Brook, G. Lockwood, L. Mitchell, R. Mitchell, Cartwright, Cocker, A. Copley, E. Brook, Travis Atalanta: H. Broadhead, E. Wilson, L. Barraclough, W. Baldick, E. Whitwam, A. Stanley, M. Taylor, O. Walker, K. Edgley, N. Quinn, C. Waller |
| 1922-04-14 | Atalanta 2 Heys 4 | Played at Cowlersley. scorer for Atalanta: Walker; own goal |
| 1922-04-22 | Atalanta 2 Chell 1 | ELFA Cup 2nd round, played at Cowlersley. scorers for Atalanta: Quinn, Olive Walker |
| 1922-05-17 | Heys 4 Atalanta 0 | Bradford Shield semi final, played at the Greenfield ground, Bradford Atalanta: P. Craven, E. Wilson, L. Barraclough, W. Baldick, E. Whitwam, P. Dyson, M. Taylor, O. Walker, A. Stanley, N. Quinn, C. Waller |
| 1922-06-03 | Doncaster & Bentley 4 Atalanta 0 | ELFA Cup semi-final, played at the City Athletic ground, Wakefield. scorers for Doncaster: Maggie Murphy, Emma Smith, Lucy Bromage, Lily Smith. |
