By Elliott West
“The last few years have been incredible. We have invested really heavily and the Lionesses have taken their opportunity and they have produced something incredible. It’s been an amazing month and an amazing day yesterday. I think it will really turbo charge everything we have been doing in the women’s game. There is no reason why we shouldn’t have the same number of girls playing as boys and it will inspire a whole new generation of players.”
Mark Bullingham, The Football Association.
Introduction
56 years ago Bobby Moore raised the World Cup in black and white at Wembley, beating West Germany 4-2. A team that consisted of the brothers’ Bobby and Jackie Charlton, Alan Ball and Nobby Stiles to name but a few. Since that iconic football moment, Germany has been the obstacle of many an England side since and football fans have been waiting for that defining moment when England would finally break the shackles of defeat and bask in the glory.
Fast forward to 2022 and all eyes were on an inspirational, England women’s team that had the chance to achieve their dreams in the European Championship. This was a team that grew in stature game on game and batted away every deadly opponent that they were drawn against, even seizing a victory out of the jaws of defeat in their quarter-final match against Spain and a 4-0 win against Sweden to reach the final. The only obstacle was a dominant force in the German team whose record was unblemished and used a swarm tactic that throttled their opponents.
A New Era
For so long, women’s sport has lived in the shadows of its male counterparts. Underinvested and players have to juggle their daytime jobs with vital hours of practice and training. So when England faced Germany on a Sunday afternoon on the last day of July, excitement was at fever pitch, a watershed moment when women’s football could be transformed into a powerhouse, a runaway train that continues to gather momentum on its direction of travel. A turbo charge that set the stage for a match where England had the potential to rock the status quo as they were buoyed on by the 87,000 audience at Wembley and the loud pop music that helped their cause.
The Match
Football pundits predicted that this would be a 3-2 victory for England but I always thought that this match could go to extra time. Germany is too good a side to give a final away and you would have to up your game to prise this trophy out of their hands. Their Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman would be key to keeping the faith and protecting her record as one of the most successful international female managers. England had scored the most goals in the tournament up to this point and only conceded two goals.
England had to fight hard but unlike the men’s game didn’t engage in the drama of fouls and dodgy tackles. They just got up, dusted themselves off and played because that is what they love doing. This was a final where you could see that Germany was rattled and impressed by the tight footwork of their opponents, pace of the ball and ability to go for the goal attempt when they could with well-thought-out formations. Although England’s lead wouldn’t come until the 62nd minute when Ella Toone produced a sublime lob that slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Perhaps this was the moment of victory for England but as we know football is never clear cut and Germany seized the moment in the 79th minute to punish their opponents in a momentary second of lack of concentration. A flick-on by Lina Magull brought the game back to 1-1 and meant this game had to go to extra time with the possibility of the dreaded penalty shootout scenario that so many England teams have had to face in the past.
Both teams were clearly tired in extra time but the key to success was who could withstand the drama and sink that magic goal required. Despite England being issued several yellow cards and some choice words by Ellen White to a German counterpart, this English team still had a fire in their bellies. The moment came when Chloe Kelly saw an opportunity and fired a goal home from close range. A goal that was celebrated by whipping off her shirt and revealing her sports bra, shrugging off the yellow card that came with the action. The Wembley crowd erupted and parties across the UK and around the world celebrated the moment. All England had to do was to hold on for the dying minutes of this match and the Euro title was theirs. Something they achieved by juggling the ball around the corner of the pitch. A last desperate attempt by Germany’s goalkeeper to come out of the goal wasn’t enough for the final whistle to signal England’s victory.
The Lionesses were in shock but a pleasant variety. Euphoria hit Wembley and the ladies celebrated in style, lapping up the media interviews and dancing to the upbeat music that accompanied their victory. The players engaged with the crowd and spent an extra hour on the pitch with Ellen White being the last woman standing to leave the stadium as darkness fell.
The Way Forward
This football victory is one of the greatest in the history of the game and is, even more, special because it comes from the women’s team. This has been a long journey with the women’s having first started in 1895. Although you wouldn’t have thought so, it has taken many female pioneers to bring the sport to where it is today, many hours of despondency, practice and staring down the barrels of defeat. However, this is the moment and it must be seized. Women’s football can’t go back to those dark days, it must thrive at junior, club and international levels. Bring in the sponsorship, play in the big arenas and develop the female game at a grassroots level. However, there is still a stigma there with four in ten football fans still saying the women’s game is less skilled.
This has to be grown with marketing, the enthusiasm is there. Now put bums on seats and fill the arenas. I don’t want to watch women’s football anymore where the camera pans around and there is a score of empty seats, with those filled only by loyal fans. We need a new audience, people need to come to the Women’s Super League match, support their women’s premiership and support their daughters when they want to play football at school and beyond. Cut the red tape and allow girls to play football at school and go along to those junior-level matches come rain or shine. The momentum is here, now let’s build on it and make women’s football great once and for all! Football has come home and women’s football is here to stay. A game that is fast, enthralling and exciting and the Euro final was watched by a record audience of 17.4 million on UK television, a further 5.9 million on BBC streams and the most-watched programme of the year according to the BBC. The Lionesses will receive the Freedom of the City of London and look likely to be awarded Queens’ honours and a possible Sports Personality of the Year award.
