The Dutch football players played a 2-1 international match against Germany in September 1956. That match, in which Van Maanen defended the goal, is still seen as the first Dutch women’s international match, even though it was not an official match. “The goalkeeper was also called ‘the Lioness of Utrecht’,” says Utrecht sports historian Remco Neu.
Women’s sports pioneer Gien van Maanen has passed away: ‘Proponent of Dutch women’s football’
