The Lionesses are simply the most successful England football team in history, winning back-to-back European Championships and becoming the first England senior team to win a major tournament on foreign soil. It is an incredible achievement and one that will reverberate through the women’s game for many years to come.
The head coach, Sarina Wiegman, is simply world class; it’s an overused phrase but absolutely fitting in this case. To reach five major finals in a row (including a European Championship win and a World Cup final with the Netherlands before joining England) is a record that may never be surpassed. She was an inspired choice by Kay Cossington, the former Football Association technical director who targeted her for her ability to build a strong culture and sense of team as much as her obvious tactical acumen.
The Lionesses, like their manager, also demonstrate exemplary leadership qualities on and off the pitch. On the pitch, they are wonderfully resilient and determined and simply do not know how to give up. In the semi-final, as even the most ardent England fan was losing hope, they found a way in the 96th minute to claw themselves back into the competition. They had to come from behind three times in the competition and emerged victorious from two penalty shootouts (how very un‑English) to retain their trophy.
Off the pitch, they are visible and vocal ambassadors for the game, demanding equal access for girls to play and ensuring that when the baton is passed on to the next generation the game is left in a better place. They utilised their platform to speak out on a range of issues from periods to autism, mental health and bereavement and also took a stand against the abhorrent racism directed at Jess Carter. The Lionesses are the powerful role models our young girls so desperately need.
While the England men’s team, under Gareth Southgate’s leadership, embodied a more inclusive vision of Englishness (captured beautifully in Dear England) the Lionesses have embodied a strong powerful sense of a modern young woman. So, congratulations Sarina and the Lionesses, I couldn’t be a more proud English woman.
But, with the players now on a well-deserved break, attention will soon turn to the launch of the Women’s Super League season and the need to maximise the momentum from the summer.
The Lionesses captured the imagination of the nation. TV audiences peaked at 16 million for the final, the biggest audience of the year and something that would have seemed unimaginable not so long ago.
More than 65,000 fans came to London last Tuesday, in unprecedented scenes for women’s sport, to congratulate their heroines and celebrate their achievements. Even the most ardent naysayers have to admit – women’s football has a passionate and growing fanbase.
And it is this very fanbase that presents football with its biggest growth opportunity. A recent Nielsen report…
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