By Alex Bowley
What were you doing on the evening of the 31 July 2022? Well, if you were not glued to your television watching Sarina Weigman’s team take home the Euro 2022 title, you missed a historic moment. England football’s first major trophy in 56 years, bringing joy to every England football fan after years of disappointment. A moment that will live long in the memory of a country deprived of football victories. Yet, this win goes deeper. This win has fulfilled the age-old cliche of inspiring little girls throughout the country, but it has also changed the mindset of the country.
The last time England won a trophy, in 1966, the women’s football team did not exist. Now they aim to reach the dizzying heights of applause and wages received by the men’s game. The fight for equal pay and recognition is indeed an ongoing one. Recently, large strides have been made in the right direction, with the USA national team having equal pay for men and women. Perhaps after this Euro’s win, England will follow in their footsteps.
The Lionesses’ success at major international tournaments is not a new phenomenon. In the 2019 world cup, the team reached the semi-final before losing to the eventual winner, the USA. What is unprecedented, however, is the amount of support that the 23-women squad received from the English public. The semi-final between England and Sweden was watched by 11 million people, according to the BBC. These numbers are normally only observed for men’s matches.
Another noticeable change has been the amount of coverage the tournament got on social media. English players, both past and present, were vocal in their support on Twitter and other platforms, helping bring the women’s game to an audience that perhaps would not have engaged with it otherwise. A surprising aspect of the tournament was that Instagram football pages were covered in memes and results of the Euros. This certainly brought a new demographic to the women’s game fans.
Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Ellen White. Names now known by most of the nation. Icons of the Lionesses’ win. These players will join the likes of Alex Scott and Fara Williams as role models for little girls as well as pillars of the game. The increased visibility of these women will hopefully promote the women’s game and show the younger generation that no matter who you are, the pinnacle of sports is achievable. Seeing these women on television and in the newspaper should show the next generation of girls that football is a sport for all, not just their brothers.
The Lionesses captured the attention of the country for one month, but the changes that they have brought will last a lot longer. Changing the view on women’s football has allowed careless and sexist comments like those of Graeme Souness to be phased out of the language used around the game.
The Euro 2022 final didn’t go very well for Gary Lineker. His most famous quote, “Football is a simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, in the end, the Germans always win,” was proven wrong on two accounts. Germany certainly did not win, and the ball was chased by 22 women.
