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ITV News
28-07-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Carlisle celebrates Lionesses European Championship win
Carlisle fans say the Lionesses' Euros victory was "the best night of my life". The England women's team won 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out against Spain in the European Championships final, retaining their title. The Lionesses were cheered on by more than 12 million people, including supporters watching on from Carlisle United's fan zone. One young girl said: "This is the best night of my life, and no one can defeat this night." Another young girl added: "I'm really proud of them because they tried their best and they won." An inspired fan told ITV Border: "It means so much, it's really special because we've won it two times in a row now, we really believe in these girls." Peter Johnston manages the Carlisle United fan zone, he said: "What a fantastic evening, what a result, what a great celebration of football." One man said: "It was a tough game, we had to be patient and we had to wait for our chances to come. We had to defend really, so long as you defend well you can get chances at the end." Research carried out recently by the Football Beyond Borders programme found that many more young girls watched this year's tournament compared to 2022. More than 40% of those surveyed say they have an emotional connection to the team, boosted by the squad's diversity. Girls' youth football coach Nataly Mason believes the Lionesses' support has come a long way, she added: "But there's still a long way to go. Hopefully in a few years, there will be a lot more for the women's game."
ITV News
27-07-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
England's history-making Lionesses have done it again, retaining their title on foreign soil
While 2022 was very special, this feels even more so. Retaining a title against the very best is hard enough; to do it overseas is unprecedented. Don't forget, either, this was the Lionesses' third major final in a row, and the fact that we almost expect that of them tells you everything you need to know about how much has changed in the past five years. Ten years ago, only the most dedicated Lionesses' fans would have been able to name the line-up in Mark Sampson's team. Despite that, a record four million viewers tuned in to watch England being beaten by Sarina Wiegman's Netherlands in the 2017 Euros semi-final on Channel Four. However, the equivalent match this week, this time against Italy, drew in a huge ten million on ITV, the channel's most-watched programme of the year so far. That's some progress and will be well beaten by the combined audience for yesterday's final. These days, not only are the current squad household names, but they are sought after by some of the world's most exclusive brands. And those commercial opportunities are not limited to sports giants, but extend to most other sectors, including the big drinks companies and iconic fashion houses. The likes of Williamson, James, the recently retired Earps and many of the rest now have an established cultural significance that stretches beyond football. After their 2022 success, they even shaped government policy. The Lionesses have grown different and diverse audiences; they engage more and allow people into their lives, which is what advertisers find so attractive. Their main constituency is women and girls, so a market that is traditionally more difficult to reach than men. Research carried out recently by the Football Beyond Borders programme reveals how the Lionesses are largely responsible for the growth of the grassroots women's game. It found that many more young girls are watching this tournament compared to 2022, a much larger proportion of those surveyed are part of a football club, and more than 40% of those asked have an emotional connection to the team, boosted largely by the diverse make-up of the squad, something that was missing in '22. When they land later with some very special silverware on board. And after six weeks away, the mother of all private parties is planned. On Tuesday, there will be more celebrations along a fan-packed Mall, replicating the amazing scenes we witnessed four years ago at Trafalgar Square.
The Guardian
27-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘I want to be a Lioness': research shows more girls than ever engaging with football
While defending their title is the big aim for the Lionesses this summer, their run to the Euro 2025 final in Switzerland has already delivered a broader success – another huge uplift in visibility for the women's game, at elite and grassroots level. The continued progress of Sarina Wiegman's side, who won the tournament in 2022 and reached the World Cup final a year later, has led to another increase in engagement on a range of measures. While TV viewing figures peaked at 17.4m in the run-up to the final, tickets sales for Women's Super League games have soared and more women's matches have been upgraded to bigger grounds, with Arsenal due to play all their home games at the Emirates Stadium next season. But perhaps one of the biggest impacts the displays in Switzerland have had domestically is on the rise in support for grassroots football. The Lioness effect has resulted in the number of women and girls' teams doubling – the biggest rise since the season after England beat Germany in 2022's final. The impact of the Lionesses has been tracked by Football Beyond Borders, a social inclusion charity which aims to use football and education to change the lives of young people. Their research shows more young girls are watching women's football now than ever before. More than a third of the sample of 500 13-18 year old girls surveyed – 36% – are now attached to a football club, demonstrating increased engagement with the sport compared to their 2023 data, which showed that 29% had never played the game. Rachel Buchanan, the brand and partnerships manager at Girls United FC who run a number of clubs and coaching programmes internationally, said that grassroots opportunities are key to teaching girls about self-empowerment: 'I just really see the benefits of taking part in football and teen sports in general, and it is such a great vehicle for supporting girls. 'I think a lot of what you look at when you think of girls and grassroots football is removing as many barriers as possible. What I've been speaking a lot about this month is the personalities and the willingness to share that the Lionesses and other professional women have that I think is a real differentiator in the women's game, because you get to see that they are real people and what they've done to get to that moment, and it just makes it that much more accessible. 'So it's not like a five-year-old girl being like: 'I could never be that'. When they do the surveys and they tell us what they got out of the session, so much of the time they're like: 'I'm going to be a future footballer. I want to play for Chelsea. I want to be a Lioness.'' Ian Balaam, chairman of Wimbledon Little League, has experienced the same pick-up in interest. 'It is growing, I've been coaching girls for a while. We have over 300 children come every Saturday now,' he says. Among his former students is Aggie Beever-Jones, now of Chelsea and England. 'I actually met Aggie while coaching at a local school. I said to my friend who was a caretaker at the school that she was special. 'We were invited up to St George's Park the other week and yeah, it took her a little bit of time to remember me, but I just said a few things that she would've remembered and and then she was like: 'I remember! I remember you!' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'It was nice for her and she was pleased to meet the girls that we took up and are currently playing in the league.' Chadderton FC, another notable grassroots club, have also experienced a huge growth in interest for the women's game. Sophie Julien, a club committee member, said: 'It's really refreshing to see how much they do enjoy the game and the passion to watch female football is becoming bigger within our girls.' Momentum is being maintained, said Julien, with visits to the club from icons of the women's game such as Nikita Parris and Jill Scott, and a £900,000 grant for a new pitch. 'It's just becoming more accessible and more fun. I know that some of the girls at our club come back from watching England on the TV and then they talk about what they've seen … they're like: 'My god, did you see that?''
