Maribor Stories: Hats Off to the Girls! recalls the beginnings of organised women's football in Maribor. In 1971, the magazine Antena published an advertisement inviting girls in Maribor and Ljubljana to try out for football teams. More than a hundred responded, and the selected Maribor players formed Vijolice, a team coached by local football enthusiast Pepi Kirbiš.
Their first match against Ljubljana's Olimpija took place on 20 June 1971 at Bežigrad Stadium. Watched by around 12,000 spectators, the match ended 2–2 before Olimpija won on penalties. The return match, played for the Narta cosmetics trophy, took place at Ljudski Vrt on 19 September. This time, 8,000 spectators watched Maribor win 3–1.
The Vijolice were pioneers of women's football in Slovenia. Their story was later commemorated through an exhibition and Vid Kmetič's book Punce, kapo dol!. The account captures a time when women footballers were finding their place in a sport traditionally dominated by men, adding a chapter to Maribor's sporting heritage.
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