The Lionesses’ Lasting Legacy

by ALEX BOWLEY

What were you doing on the evening of the 31st of July 2022? Well if you were not glued to your television watching Sarina Weigman’s women take home the Euro 2022 title then you missed a moment in history. England football’s first major trophy in 56 years, bringing joy to every England fan after generations of disappointment. A moment that will live long in the memory of a country deprived of footballing success, yet, this win goes deeper. This win will fulfill the age-old cliche of inspiring little girls up and down the country, but this tournament has also changed the mindset of the country.

When England last won a major trophy, in 1966, the England women’s football team did not exist. This tells the story of the struggle that women’s football has faced to exist, and now they aim to reach the dizzying heights of the men’s game. The fight for equal pay and recognition is an ongoing one. Yet, recently there have been large strides made in the right direction with the USA national team having equal pay for men and women. Maybe after this Euros win England will follow in their footsteps.

The England women’s football team having success at major international tournaments is not a new phenomenon. In the 2019 world cup, the Lionesses reached the semi-final before losing to the eventual winner, the USA. What is unprecedented however is the amount of support that the 23-man squad received from the English public.

The amount of coverage of the tournament is unprecedented, both on television and in written media. The semi-final between England and Sweden was watched by 11 million people, according to the BBC. These numbers are normally only seen for men’s matches.

One of the things that was noticeable is 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 the tournament otherwise. A surprising aspect of the tournament was that Instagram football pages were covered in memes and results of the Euros. This no doubt brought a new demographic to the women’s game.

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 and 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 a 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 comments like that 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 proved wrong on two accounts. Germany certainly did not win, and the ball was chased by 22 women.