| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edna Neillis | ||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 18 July 2015 (aged 62) | ||
| Place of death | Cumbernauld, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970-1973 | Westthorn United | ||
| 1973–1975 | Reims | ||
| 1975–1977 | A.C.F. Milan | ||
| 1978–1982 | Gorgonzola | ||
| 1983 | Piacenza | ||
| 1984 | Gorgonzola | ||
| 1985–1989 | A.C.F. Foggia | ||
| 1989–1990 | A.C.F. San Pietro in Lama[1] | ||
| International career | |||
| 1972–1975 | Scotland | 5 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Edna Neillis (15 April 1953 – 13 July 2015) was a Scottish women's association football player, who represented the Scottish women's football team and played in the French and Italian championships.[2]
Neillis was born in Glasgow, and raised in the east of the city, playing football in the streets as a child and for Ruchazie boys' team.[3][4] She went on to play with Westthorn United, a women's team based in Glasgow.[4] She earned her first cap with the Scotland national team as a teenager and played in the team's first international match against England in 1972.[3] Previously, women's football was banned for over 50 years.[5]
Neillis and her teammate Rose Reilly received a lifetime ban by the Scottish FA after speaking out against the national team's amateur-level coach in 1975.[6][7] She continued to play professionally in Italy.
- ^ As A.C.F. Foggia chose to play in Division C due to financial problems at the end of season 1987-1988 so that Edna decided to play it. The following championship moved to A.C.F. San Pietro in Lama some 7 km. south towards Lecce (source: "La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno", free search).
- ^ "Edna Neillis Recognised at Art Exhibition". Scottish FA. 21 March 2013. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ a b Campbell, Alan (28 July 2015). "Death of a football trailblazer". The Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ a b O'Neill, Jen (22 July 2015). "Edna Neillis, Passing Of A Pioneer". SheKicks. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "WW1: Why was women's football banned in 1921?". BBC. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ Williams, Jane (7 March 2013). A Game for Rough Girls?: A History of Women's Football in Britain. Routledge. p. 40. ISBN 978-1135136147. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ Campbell, Alan (29 July 2015). "Tributes paid as pioneering Scots female footballer who starred for country and AC Milan dies at 62". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 June 2016.