Ann Gibbons pestered her father so much that he and some fellow Edinburgh RAAF base workers secured land that became the Salisbury Untied football pitch. Prior to this, she could see very limited opportunities for girls to play football.
In making selections of who, among many contenders, would be inducted into the first Football SA Hall of Fame in 2003, Ann Gibbons was one of only two female inductees along with 47 males.
She and Shirley Brown were among the storied names of football in SA – John Perin, John Kosmina and Bohdan Nyskohus.
Their names might not have been so familiar courtesy of multiple societal impacts of the time, but their contribution and influence have been immense for women’s football in this state.
Like many involved before and after her, Ann Gibbons was not born in Australia, migrating here in 1953, having been born in Neath, Wales in the UK.
With her own love of the game, she could see opportunities for women to play football in SA were seriously limited and she wasn’t prepared to leave the job to someone else.
She pestered her father so much that he and some fellow workers at the Edinburgh RAAF base secured the land that became the Salisbury Untied football pitch. Her father then stayed involved, helping develop football for girls so his daughter and friends could play.
After years of discussions with clubs and individuals throughout the1970s, Ann, along with her father Bob Bush, co-founded the South Australian Women’s Soccer Association in 1978.
In reality, it had taken more than 50 years for women’s soccer to surface again in a substantial way and Ann Gibbons’ belief, perseverance and negotiating skills helped lead the way in SA.
Although she was heavily involved with the Salisbury United club as a player, manager and administrator, she could see beyond the needs of her individual club.
The establishment of the women’s association proved to be a major foundation to the development of the game here, providing long term support and advocacy for women’s clubs from the city and country regions.
Ann Gibbons remained loyal to her Salisbury Utd Club after the establishment of the SAWSA, maintaining roles as Senior club secretary 1978 – 79 and club delegate to SAWSA 1978-80.
Along with her 103-year-old mother, Ann Gibbons remained involved with running the club and operating functions, through the mid 2020s.
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