Flo Bilton

Florence "Flo" Bilton (1921 – 22 July 2004) was an English association football coach and administrator. She was an officer of the Women's Football Association (WFA) from its formation in 1969 until its incorporation into The FA in 1993.

Flo Bilton
Personal information
Full name Florence Bilton
Date of birth 1921 (1921)
Place of birth Hull, England
Date of death 22 July 2004(2004-07-22) (aged 82–83)
Place of death Hull, England
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Teams managed
Reckitt & Colman

Bilton's involvement in football began in 1963, when she put together a female team from the Reckitt & Colman factory where she worked to play a nearby Smith & Nephew factory. Reckitt & Colman won 2–1, with Bilton playing as a veteran goalkeeper.[1] She remained as Reckitt & Colman manager and was secretary of the nascent Hull League. She later helped local players Carol Thomas and Gail Borman progress to the England national team.[2]

As a founding member of the WFA, Bilton undertook a variety of unglamorous but important off-field roles during the organisation's 24-year history.[1] She borrowed an England national football team cap from her neighbour Raich Carter and then made copies for England's female national team players.[3]

Former England player Wendy Owen praised Bilton in her 2005 autobiography: "She was a wonderful person who could and did turn her hand to just about anything that might help other women to get enjoyment out of the game."[4] In 1997 Sue Lopez declared: "Flo Bilton is one of the unsung heroines and one of the greatest supporters of women's football."[1]

In 2018 Bilton was awarded a commemorative plaque by her home city of Kingston upon Hull.[5] At the Guildhall unveiling, former England captains Karen Walker and Carol Thomas both made speeches in Bilton's honour.[6]

References
  1. Lopez 1997, p. 75
  2. "Celebrating International Women's Day in the East Riding". East Riding County Football Association. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  3. Williams & Ward 2009, p. 126
  4. Owen 2005, p. 68
  5. Evans, Michelle (8 March 2018). "Woman power: inspirational Hull women are being celebrated with suffrage centenary plaques". Hull UK City of Culture 2017. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  6. "Centenary Plaques Celebrate Achievements of Five Hull Women". BBC Radio Humberside. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.

Bibliography
  • Lopez, Sue (1997). Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football. London, England: Scarlet Press. ISBN 1-85727-016-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Owen, Wendy (2005). Kicking Against Tradition: A Career in Women's Football. Tempus. ISBN 0752434276.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Williams, John; Ward, Andrew (2009). "Wembley 1966 and After". Football Nation: Sixty Years of the Beautiful Game. Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781408801260.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


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