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Plaque planned to mark first England international

Vanessa PearceWest Midlands
Marian McNamee/BBC A smiling Pat Mitchell-Firth wears a blue and white striped shirt and is holding a crimson velvet official Football Association cap with gold embroidery and brocade. It bears the number 16 and has the England three lions badge onMarian McNamee/BBC
Pat Mitchell-Firth scored the team's first ever hat-trick during the match in Nuneaton in 1973

A heritage blue plaque is set to be unveiled, marking the site of the first home match involving the England women's football team.

The team beat Scotland 8-0 at Nuneaton's Manor Park pitch in 1973.

The event is part of celebrations marking a "landmark milestone" when the Lionesses play their 500th international match against Iceland on Saturday, said the Football Association.

Members of the squad who played in the 1973 match, including goalscorer Pat Mitchell-Firth, will be in attendance, it said.

Aged 16, she scored England Women's first ever hat-trick in front of a crowd of 1,308 at the Warwickshire game.

The player went on to represent England in 11 matches, scoring nine goals, but was forced to retire from the game aged 21 after a cartilage injury.

Pat Michell-Firth A black and white image of Pat Mitchell-Firth on the football pitch. She is wearing a white shirt with the number nine on the backPat Michell-Firth
Ms Mitchell-Firth, then 16, wore the number 9 shirt during her England debut against Scotland

The meeting with Scotland on 23 June was one of the "cornerstone moments" in the team's history, said the FA.

The team were given home-made caps but were finally recognised as original Lionesses in 2023 when the FA issued official caps to all past and present players.

The two sides had already met in the reverse fixture in Greenock in November 1972, England winning 3-2 at Ravenscraig Park.

Kevin Brown The inside of the programme for England v Scotland played in Nuneaton in 1973. It lists the teams. Kevin Brown
The programme shows the teams for the 1973 Nuneaton match

The FA banned women's football in 1921 - a time when the women's game was attracting crowds of 53,000 - saying "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged".

It was nearly 50 years later when the FA rescinded that ban, in 1971, following the formation of the Women's Football Association (WFA) a couple of years earlier.

Football Association England Women wear bright purple football tops with yellow EE branding. They are seen running on a football pitch. Football Association
The England team will play their 500th game

A week of celebrations will begin at game 499, the World Cup qualifier with Spain at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.

More than 50 former Lionesses from across the decades will be in attendance and will form a guard of honour as both teams walk out onto the pitch, said the FA.

England captain Leah Williamson said: "As we reach the 500th game it feels more important than ever to honour every former Lioness and those who had to play in the shadows prior.

"We are the lucky ones, we get to play with opportunities they could only dream of," she added.

"The trailblazers who played with passion and determination broke boundaries and built the foundations we stand on today."

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