England's women make history: Football is home
After 56 years, English football fans can finally rejoice and celebrate a national team winning a major international tournament. England women have exceeded expectations and, by beating Germany 2-1 to win Euro 2022, have done what the men could not to bring glory back to millions.
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| Credit: cbsnews.com |
The irony of this historic victory is that when England last lifted a major trophy, women were outlawed from playing football. It was not until 1971 that The Football Association (FA) finally lifted the fifty year ban on women’s football, sparking a revival in the sport that has led to the popularity of it seen today.
Last Sunday’s final will undoubtedly be seen as a landmark moment
not just for women’s football, but English football in general. The success of
the Lionesses has ended the famed ‘56 years of hurt’ coined by the song Three
Lions; many people proclaiming how football has finally come home. 87,900 people were in attendance at Wembley
for the final – a record attendance for any UEFA competition men or women. In
fact, the top three highest attended football matches of 2022 have all been
women’s games, the final joining two Barcelona games in that statistic. This shows
that when the exposure and hype reaches the same level as their male
counterparts, the women can draw crowds that match it. With Sky Sports and BBC now
regularly covering women’s football, there is starting to be more money in the game
which improves quality of coaching and, in turn, quality of play as well.
Whilst women’s football is now firmly in the mainstream more
than ever before, the long-term impact of the Lionesses’ success could start to
be seen at a club level. The top division of English women’s football - The
Women’s Super League - is now full of top international players with games being
played at larger stadiums that are shared with their male counterparts. This
adds potential for larger crowds than have previously been experienced – last season,
the average attendance in the league was little over 1,000. With the cost of
living crisis hitting homes, football is a regular and well needed escape from
normality and elite-level men’s football for some is too expensive to attend. Women’s
games are far more affordable – the most expensive match ticket being charged by
Arsenal Ladies at £12. The events of Sunday could have a large knock-on effect
into the coming season for the sport with many now fully aware of the high
quality of the game and affordability of attending.
At a challenging time for all, success in sport will help to
boost morale across the country. An estimated 17 million tuned in to watch the
Lionesses on Sunday with many more watching in pubs as well. These figures can
only be matched for live sport when the men’s team play at an event such as the
World Cup. Many will look back on this moment as a key part in women’s football
history, not least as it is the first time that England’s women’s team have won
a major tournament. If the men can match their performance in this years winter
World Cup, then 2022 could be the best year in history for English football.