The book 125 years of Union (4): Women’s football at Union Saint-Gilloise

On the occasion of its 125th anniversary, Union Saint-Gilloise has published the book titled ‘Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, 125 years, the official book’. In this series, you will get an insight into some fragments from the book. The fourth fragment is about how the first women’s team of Union saint-Gilloise was created.

In June 1920, a group of ladies and girls – mainly players’ wives and daughters of club directors – united under the name ‘The Amazons of Saint-Gilles’.

Determined to practice this male-dominated sport, they organized private training sessions on the pitch at the Stade Marien when it was not being used by their male counterparts. In their third training session, they were fourteen of them at the Brusselsesteenweg, their feminine forms being hidden under a loose-fitting blue outfit, with a large yellow collar. This training was described by Bobinus, the poet of Saint-Gilles, in the magazine Le Football, which gave us more details about the composition of this women’s team.

Excerpt from the book ‘Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, 125 years, the official book’. Available in the Club House and in our online fan shop.