Despite the wave of euphoria surrounding the Lionesses’ spectacular victory in the 2022 Euros final, over half the nation (52%) aren’t aware of women being banned from football by the English FA for 50 years and 44% of the nation cannot name a single female footballer.
Yet 63% believe the Lionesses are more likely to win the World Cup before the men’s national team, a new study reveals.
In a bid to raise awareness of the unsung talent and inspire the next generation of female players, the woman who scored more goals in her career than Cristiano Ronaldo has been brought back to life by Three UK using AI technology to share her incredible story.
Lily Parr worked at a Munitions Factory in Lancashire during WW1 and was a member of the firm’s women’s football team. On Boxing Day 1920, aged just 15, she played at Goodison Park before a crowd of 53,000 spectators.
In 1921 the English Football Association banned women from the sport and prohibited them from playing at any professional grounds or pitches affiliated to The FA, stating: “The game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged.”
It took 50 years for the ban to rescinded. Three has partnered with Chelsea FC Women to produce a report looking at the cultural and economic effects of the ban, now dubbed ‘The Play Gap’.
Parr, who died in 1978 aged 73, reportedly scored at least 960 goals during her career and toured America after the ban here. Barred from club grounds, many women’s simply played on village greens or parks.
As part of the mobile network’s #WeSeeYou Network, the pioneer has been artificially recreated to join modern day trailblazer Karen Carney in an inspirational interview.
Former Chelsea FC Women player turned TV presenter Carney talked to Parr about her life and career. Women’s football historian and Professor of Sport at the University of Wolverhampton, Jean Williams, worked with Three on the digital recreation.
By feeding the technology a series of archival information from Parr and those who knew her, she helped to inform the personality and character of the AI responses.
The AI-powered version of Parr was then brought to life using advanced digital motion technology combined with restoring old photos and footage to reveal her facial features in high resolution, bringing her likeness back into vivid detail.
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.
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.”
The survey of 2,000 British adults found almost seven in ten (69%) of fans say women footballers receive less media coverage and almost two thirds (65%) say they aren’t promoted as role models in the same way male players are.
As for the financial impact of the ban, the loss to the British economy is calculated at £37.5m a year.
Dr James Reade, professor of Economics at Reading University, and Dr Steven Brand, an economist at the University of Plymouth, created a formula looking at characteristics including matchday revenues, non-matchday revenues, stadium capacity and TV revenue.
For the 2022-23 season, the WSL was worth £48m, a 50% increase on the previous season. Today, the ‘Play Gap’ report predicts that the WSL will be worth £85.7m for the 2024-2025 season, and if women’s football had not been banned it would likely be worth £123.2m – 44% more.
Aislinn O’Connor 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.”
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/