Imagine you’re searching for the perfect print to compliment the off-white feature wall you’ve just painted in your living room. You want something classy, yet unmistakably you. A piece that reflects your passions. Forget Pitch Perfect; you’ve just found the perfect pitch instead.
This isn’t just football art. It’s a test of your knowledge and nostalgia for women’s football and its broad history. “Pitch Invasion” is an art print celebrating some of the game’s all-time greats, immortalised in a striking navy-blue design.
It comes from Dorothy, a Liverpool-based studio known for creating art prints and products that speak to every kind of enthusiast. Whether your obsession is sport, music, sneakers, or science, they’ve got something that works for everyone.
This summer belonged to the Women’s Euros, which was won by none other than the Lionesses. The hero of the tournament, Chloe Kelly, aptly features in the Dorothy design. It’s time to unapologetically celebrate the history of women’s football. Beyond The Pitch spoke exclusively to designer Oli Rogers to delve into the makings of the Pitch Invasion women’s football edition. Rogers said:
“The print was designed to coincide with our ‘Euro Summer’ exhibition we hosted in our studio curated by Nali Simukulwa. The concept was to create a space for people to connect with the women’s game beyond the digital world – showcasing the importance of recreating online spaces in real life, for women’s football communities to blossom into in-person experiences that strengthen and grow the community. The print therefore became a centre piece of the exhibit which captures the community feel of the women’s game.”
Where there’s a Pitch Invasion print for Liverpool and Manchester United, there’s now a print for women’s football audiences too.
“We’ve always featured women players in our Pitch Invasion series, but for this latest print we wanted them to truly take centre stage.“
The map boasts a full pitch design, mirroring how a tactics board would look. Immortalising 120 of the greats in the game, you can see them exactly where they made their name on the pitch.
The art print is a new special edition print for summer 2025, and feels like a rare celebration of women’s football, art and memorabilia in one. Day One fans of the women’s game don’t have Panenka sticker books or Topps’ Match Attax to unearth from the attic boxes. The men’s game is monetised to this extent, and the concept is recycled for different generations to experience. Pitch Invasion offers something different: a long-overdue celebration, designed to be treasured and hung up like a canvas.
During World War I, many men were enlisted for war and as a result, football was suspended. Women took on roles such as factory workers and began playing football to stay fit. One team hailing from Preston, called Dick Kerr Ladies became overly popular in the absence of men’s teams, playing in front of huge crowds and raising money for wartime charities.
In December 1921, the Football Association banned women from playing simply for becoming too popular. Remarkably, the ban stayed in place until 1971 and robbed women’s football of half a century of history. Instead, the pioneers of the game in the United Kingdom are the munitions factory workers from World War I.
The renaissance of the women’s game in recent times catalysed the boom of WSL in England, largely thanks to the success of the Lionesses. It was a huge turning point for the globalisation of the game, boosted with increased media coverage and more broadcasts of games. Investments and governmental initiatives have further helped the cause, and in the process, these trailblazers walked so that decades later, others could run.
Only 120 names could feature on this edition of the print, which would have required a meticulous assessment and process of elimination that covered decades of football history. One of the oldest players included is the legendary Brazilian, Formiga, born in 1978 and a veteran of seven World Cups. Rogers noted:
“We [Dorothy] could easily have featured many more, but a tight deadline – aiming to release before the Euros – meant we had to be selective. This ultimately worked in our favour, allowing us to create a concise celebration of trailblazers and standout international stars.”
Whilst being visually aesthetic, Pitch Invasion makes a bold statement by asserting that women’s football is worthy of being archived and commemorated in print form.
For Dorothy, this is just the start:
“The response to the print has been fantastic, and the watch party and exhibition we hosted alongside it were incredibly well received. We’d love to explore follow-up projects!”
Support it, buy it, gift it and talk about it. Pitch Invasion is more than a print. It’s a love letter to women’s football.
