100 years since the women's football ban - what has changed?

These days women's football has never been more popular, with national and local teams raising the profile and attracting fans of all ages and genders.

Last night even saw Chelsea win the 50th FA Cup competition for female teams!

But believe it or not, women's football was once banned by the FA.

Click through the steps below to understand more about the history of women's football, and how things have changed.

Why were women banned from football?

Lots of women took up football during WW1 as a way to keep fit, but in 1921 a few years after the war had ended the FA decided that women's football was to be banned.

The reason given by the FA was that "…the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."

They said that no teams should allow women to play in their grounds.

This decision was overturned in 1971 - after 50 years had gone by!

Arsenal and England striker Beth Mead told Newsround that when she was growing up she was told that football was for boys.

She thinks the ban has had a severe impact on the situation of women's football now compared to the men's game.

"We're 50 year behind now," she said, "but the women' game is moving in the right direction, and we are getting the TV coverage, social media, getting more people to games, more people invested in the games."

How much have things changed when it comes to women's football?

Beth Mead loves her job, playing as a forward for Arsenal and England

Beth said: "For me growing up, football wasn't really an opportunity for me to do as a fulltime job.

"The young girls and boys that are coming into the game now, I think it's exciting for them that they can become a fulltime professional whether they're a man or a woman."

The young footballers we spoke to agreed that women's football has come a long way.

One girl said: "There's a lot more clubs and a lot more girls' football teams. I think over time it has really progressed and a lot of girls are playing it more now."

Another added: "Before we started playing football we just used to kick the ball, we didn't really know what to do but now we are getting better and better."

But there still tend to be more barriers for girls than boys, even when it comes to junior levels of the game.

This is something Newsround has reported before, exposing the gap in development opportunities between boys and girls when it comes to early professional coaching.

During lockdown we also heard from nine-year-old Ellie who brought to our attention that boys 'elite' academies for under-16s were allowed to stay open during England's four-week lockdown, but the equivalent training facilities for girls weren't able to.

She even started a petition to try and get the decision reversed.

Thirteen-year-old Olivia has been campaigning for equality for girls in the game since she was seven, following her own difficult experiences in football.

She even told us about a time where she was punched by a boy when playing in a mixed football match.

Many hope situations like this can soon also become part of history.

Beth said: "I hope in the future women's football becomes the norm. I still think there's a label that it's not as good as the men's, technically we are the same level."

How is girls' football having a positive impact?

For some girls playing football is helping them succeed with other aspects of their lives outside of sport.

One girl told Newsround: "Before I was shy, but now I am confident".

Another girl said: "Whatever emotion I'm feeling, when I play football it all goes away and I'm only thinking about football."

And they're also hoping to inspire others.

One young player to us: "Girls are just playing more, and it's happier for little girls to know that girls can do anything that they want!"