The Guardian view on the Lionesses' Euro 2025 triumph: the comeback queens will inspire future generations
That gives the measure of the achievement. What will live long in the memory was the manner of it. Well beaten by France in the group stages, 2-0 down to Sweden late in the quarter-final, 1-0 down to Italy in injury time in the semi-final, 1-0 down to Spain at half-time in the final, a remarkable group of players seemed somehow to thrive in such adversity.
Their spirit was epitomised by the dogged determination of 33-year-old Lucy Bronze, perhaps playing in her last big tournament, who revealed after the final that she had played throughout with a fractured shin. Courage of a different kind has been displayed by England's goalkeeper and Uefa's player of the match on Sunday, Hannah Hampton, who overcame a serious eye condition to fulfil her ambition of pursuing a football career. And by Jess Carter, the defender who suffered racist abuse earlier in the tournament, but ended it with a faultless performance in the final. The effervescent Chloe Kelly, who had considered quitting last season when her career was in the doldrums, had the last word as England's nerveless penalty-shootout match-winner.
Increasingly, such inspirational sporting narratives are the things that young girls' dreams are made of. Research by the Football Beyond Borders charity suggests that the number of 13- to 18-year-olds who play and follow the game continues to grow. This summer's excitement will deliver another huge shot of adrenaline to the domestic women's game, which was already preparing for a different set of firsts.
This season, Arsenal Women will break new ground by playing all of their Women's Super League (WSL) home games at the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium. Already, 15,000 season tickets have been sold. Everton Women will take over Goodison Park, one of English football's most beloved stadiums, as the men's team decamp to a new ground on the banks of the Mersey. The Lionesses effect, combined with new television contracts covering two fully professional divisions, and a new Sunday kick-off time designed to maximise exposure of the game, should pave the way for further growth.
Challenges remain. As a slight drop-off in WSL attendances last season suggested, rapid bursts of growth driven by international success is not a reliable long-term strategy. The task in the future will be to maintain upward momentum, even when the England women's team is not sweeping all before it. And as more girls seek opportunities to play and pitches to play on, a grassroots infrastructure that has been historically geared to the requirements of men's and boys' teams needs an overhaul.
That is for tomorrow, though. Once again the Lionesses have lit up an English summer, forging legends that will fire the imaginations of future generations of girls. The extraordinary Ms Wiegman, after winning the Euros first with her native Netherlands, has consolidated her position as by far the most successful England manager of all time. Even more significantly, she has empowered and inspired a formidable group of athletes to transform the profile of women's sport in this country.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Not just a flash in the pan' - Lionesses' legacy
When England won the European Championship in 2022 it was a watershed moment for women's football in the attendances skyrocketed, investment grew and media coverage after England triumphed in Switzerland on Sunday to retain their European crown following a dramatic penalty shootout against Spain, England manager Sarina Wiegman said: "We're not there yet."The legacy of Euro 2022 - England's first major women's trophy - will be difficult to surpass in its importance to the growth of women's that of Euro 2025 - a first major trophy won on foreign soil and the first time an English senior team has retained a title - could prove crucial in further cementing the game's place in Leah Williamson, speaking before Sunday's final, said: "You don't want to be a flash in the pan, a memory, and when we spoke before 2022 we said it was the start of something."We are still trying to play our role in that. We know how powerful that is. I hope it continues to grow, the respect for women's football, the respect for women and women's sport in general - we can try our best to elevate that." Lionesses success = women's football success Success for the Lionesses translates as success for the women's game in the Euro 2022 victory, interest in the domestic game piqued with every Women's Super League club seeing increased attendances the following season. A similar spike was felt after the 2023 World Cup, where England lost to Spain in the that were home to high-profile Lionesses drew the biggest crowds, with Arsenal attracting the most and setting a new WSL attendance record of 47,367 in their first home game at Emirates Stadium Gunners have gone on to break the WSL attendance record another three times, but last season average attendances dropped by 10% compared with the previous the first time in three years the WSL did not benefit from taking place after an international tournament where there had been home success after Great Britain failed to qualify for the Olympics. It is not just attendances that spiked following Euro 2022. Here are some other significant developments:In 2024, the Football Association (FA) revealed that in the previous four years 129,000 more girls became involved in schools football across the host cities of Euro 2022, while almost 1,500 new female football teams September 2024, a new deal worth £45m was agreed for Barclays to continue as the title sponsor for the WSL. Worth in the region of £15m a year, this stood at double the previous October 2024, a new WSL broadcast deal with the BBC and Sky Sports was agreed, which runs through to 2030. The money generated from these rights is shared between WSL for WSL clubs soared by 34% during a record-breaking 2023-24 season, with each club generating more than £1m for the first transfer fees in the WSL have increased, with Chelsea and Arsenal twice breaking the world record in the past six months - with the latter making Olivia Smith the first player to cost more than £1m. How did the Lionesses use their profile in 2022? The players have never shied away from their role in advocating for positive change for women and girls' hours after winning Euro 2022, England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy spearheaded an ultimately successful campaign in which the Lionesses' squad wrote an open letter to the then-government demanding equal access to school football for governments have since turned her words into action and on Monday ministers announced plans to double the amount of time women's and girls' football teams get allocated at government-funded sports facilities."These girls are constantly using their voice for change," said former England striker Ellen White."Wanting to inspire a nation and wanting to gain more opportunities for young people and young girls. They're so inspiring - they want to make change. They are perfect role models."They have shown they are not afraid of speaking out on causes they believe in. Williamson, who wears a rainbow armband in support of LGBTQ+ rights when playing for England, previously said it was "rubbish" to tell players to "stick to football" and avoid politics before the men's World Cup in the last Women's World Cup, former Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps called out Nike for failing to sell England women's goalkeeper shirts, which led to the sportswear giant making a Euro 2025, after defender Jess Carter was subjected to online racist abuse, the Lionesses decided they would no longer take the knee before games as they did not feel it was having enough impact. "[It is] clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism," they said in a or lose, the Lionesses feel a sense of responsibility for women's football and frequently talk about inspiring the next generation of young boys and girls to after celebrating with fans in central London, Williamson said: "Everything we do, we do it for us and our team but we do it for the country and young girls."This job never existed 30 or 40 years ago and we're making history every single step. Stay with us, this story is not done yet." What impact could Euro 2025 win have? While the legacy of Euro 2022 is clear, everyone involved in women's football knows there is still a long way to go."This is another massive ignition moment," said Nikki Doucet - the chief executive of WSL Football, which has taken over responsibility of the WSL and the WSL 2 this season."In some ways I think we're even more set up to capitalise on this opportunity now that we have the independent company set up - it's our job to take the inspiration and run with it as fast and hard as we can."Most WSL clubs are reliant on financial support from a men's team, although London City Lionesses will become the first team with no affiliation with a men's club to play in the women's top flight this the top flight, clubs' positions are much more precarious. Blackburn became the latest example as they decided to withdraw from the second tier, now WSL 2, for this season as they could not meet the financial and operational requirements of the summer Reading, who were in the WSL as recently as two years ago, decided to withdraw from the second tier and drop to the fifth because of financial chief executive Mark Bullingham said the WSL was on a "good trajectory" and success at Euro 2025 will "turbo-charge" that along with plans for grassroots growth."We want to get to the point where you know we should have the same number of girls and women playing football as boys and men, and until we've done that we've got a job to do," he director of women's football, Sue Day, agreed there was much more to be done for women's football in England."We want more matches on the TV, we want more opportunities for fans to be able to get involved, we want more money to be able to pay the players with, we want more kids playing in schools," she told Radio 4's Today programme."So we have to really capture this moment and turn it into everything we all want football to be for girls."The England team have already shown in the aftermath of their latest triumph that they will continue to make their voices at a reception at Downing Street on Monday, manager Wiegman said: "We need some more investment. We're not there yet."In England we're up there but England needs to stay the trailblazer, it needs to be the big example - the players first but also the Football Association, the clubs, the government, the country, the fans. Let's keep being the trailblazers."And the players are already planning their next Georgia Stanway said: "The point is now we don't have to keep winning to create a legacy and create change… but the fact that we win, it opens the doors so much more, gives us so much more opportunity to make change."We'll discuss as a player group what it will look like over the next few weeks and what we want to go into. But this is a massive door for us to step into."
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Wednesday's briefing: Lionesses celebrate and Trafford rejoins Man City
Transfers continue to dominate the landscape with Manchester City bringing back a former academy graduate and speculation surrounding Newcastle's Alexander Isak showing no signs of abating. We're not done yet – Williamson England captain Leah Williamson insists the Lionesses still have plenty to achieve (Lucy North/PA) An emotional Leah Williamson insisted 'this story is not done yet' as England's celebrations following their Euro 2025 triumph continued in central London on Tuesday. There was an open-top bus parade as thousands of fans flocked to see the procession along the Mall, before a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. Less than 48 hours after the Lionesses retained their European Championship crown by beating Spain in the Basel final on penalties, Williamson said: 'I'm holding back tears. I've been crying all the way down the Mall. This is unbelievable and it's one of the best things we've ever been a part of so thanks for coming out. 'Everything we do, we do it for us and our team but we do it for the country and young girls. This job never existed 30 or 40 years ago and we're making history every single step. Stay with us, this story is not done yet.' Mbeumo relishing Bruno connection Bryan Mbeumo is looking forward to linking up with new Manchester United team-mate Bruno Fernandes (Bradley Collyer/PA) Manchester United's new signing Bryan Mbeumo says he is excited about linking up with Bruno Fernandes. Cameroon winger Mbeumo, who scored 20 goals and provided seven assists for Brentford in the Premier League last season, signed a five-year contract last week to become United's third summer signing. When asked on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast who he was most looking forward to playing alongside, Mbeumo told the former United defender: 'Of course, Bruno. 'Everyone sees in the past years. He can shoot, he can cross, he can do crazy ball. Yeah, for a striker, you just enjoy that.' Trafford 'home' at City Goalkeeper James Trafford has rejoined former club Manchester City from Burnley (Nick Potts/PA) England Under-21s goalkeeper James Trafford's return to Manchester City fulfils a dream he had of going back to his former club. Trafford has signed a five-year contract with the side he left for Burnley in 2023 after City activated a £27million buy-back clause. 'Rejoining City is such a special and proud moment both for me and my family. I always dreamed that one day I would be able to come back to Manchester City,' said the 22-year-old. 'This is the place I call home – it's a truly special football club with fantastic people who make it such a unique place to work and play.' Isak future not in Howe's full control Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe insists Alexander Isak is 'still our player' (John Walton/PA) Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has admitted that he is not in 'full control' over Alexander Isak's future. Isak has been heavily linked with Liverpool after it was reported the 25-year-old was keen to explore a move away from Newcastle. The Sweden striker still has three years left on his contract at Newcastle, who he joined in the summer of 2022 from Spanish side Real Sociedad, but has been absent from the club's pre-season tour of the Far East. 'He is still our player. He's contracted to us,' Howe said at a press conference in Seoul. 'We, to a degree, control what is next for him. I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us. My wish is that he stays, but that's not in my full control.' What's on today? Rangers will look to hold on to their 2-0 advantage from the first leg when they take on Panathinaikos in Greece in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. League of Ireland side Shelbourne have a tougher task as they face Qarabag in Azerbaijan with a 3-0 deficit.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Wednesday's briefing: Lionesses celebrate and Trafford rejoins Man City
Transfers continue to dominate the landscape with Manchester City bringing back a former academy graduate and speculation surrounding Newcastle's Alexander Isak showing no signs of abating. We're not done yet – Williamson An emotional Leah Williamson insisted 'this story is not done yet' as England's celebrations following their Euro 2025 triumph continued in central London on Tuesday. There was an open-top bus parade as thousands of fans flocked to see the procession along the Mall, before a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. Less than 48 hours after the Lionesses retained their European Championship crown by beating Spain in the Basel final on penalties, Williamson said: 'I'm holding back tears. I've been crying all the way down the Mall. This is unbelievable and it's one of the best things we've ever been a part of so thanks for coming out. 'Everything we do, we do it for us and our team but we do it for the country and young girls. This job never existed 30 or 40 years ago and we're making history every single step. Stay with us, this story is not done yet.' Mbeumo relishing Bruno connection Manchester United's new signing Bryan Mbeumo says he is excited about linking up with Bruno Fernandes. Cameroon winger Mbeumo, who scored 20 goals and provided seven assists for Brentford in the Premier League last season, signed a five-year contract last week to become United's third summer signing. When asked on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast who he was most looking forward to playing alongside, Mbeumo told the former United defender: 'Of course, Bruno. 'Everyone sees in the past years. He can shoot, he can cross, he can do crazy ball. Yeah, for a striker, you just enjoy that.' Trafford 'home' at City England Under-21s goalkeeper James Trafford's return to Manchester City fulfils a dream he had of going back to his former club. Trafford has signed a five-year contract with the side he left for Burnley in 2023 after City activated a £27million buy-back clause. 'Rejoining City is such a special and proud moment both for me and my family. I always dreamed that one day I would be able to come back to Manchester City,' said the 22-year-old. 'This is the place I call home – it's a truly special football club with fantastic people who make it such a unique place to work and play.' Isak future not in Howe's full control Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has admitted that he is not in 'full control' over Alexander Isak's future. Isak has been heavily linked with Liverpool after it was reported the 25-year-old was keen to explore a move away from Newcastle. The Sweden striker still has three years left on his contract at Newcastle, who he joined in the summer of 2022 from Spanish side Real Sociedad, but has been absent from the club's pre-season tour of the Far East. 'He is still our player. He's contracted to us,' Howe said at a press conference in Seoul. 'We, to a degree, control what is next for him. I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us. My wish is that he stays, but that's not in my full control.' What's on today? Rangers will look to hold on to their 2-0 advantage from the first leg when they take on Panathinaikos in Greece in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. League of Ireland side Shelbourne have a tougher task as they face Qarabag in Azerbaijan with a 3-0 deficit.
