shout. Sold yards and high aspirations and sparked dreams.
English women’s football has muscles, (hopefully) a brain and a brighter future than most women.
Now real success is needed – for the sake of all girls.
The years of waiting became months, weeks, days, and finally just a few hours. Among the half-timbered houses and other classic British elements formerly left by the Romans in Chester, I feel the European pulse…
still. No more, no less.
England breathes and lives football in a way that many countries will never understand. It shines through the bar counter in the pub as well as in politics. It is a natural part of everyday life, partly due to economic forces but above all because its social significance is not underestimated.
This is why it is remarkable that uneven frequency follows women’s football. The great progress of three lionesses and a media revival has come in the past decade, which can be considered lagging in comparison with the Nordic countries.
The reason for this is discussed in several research reports with the conclusion that Sweden, Norway and Denmark, for example, were simply equally advanced.
Two-part feeling
When Mecca is now football’s self-proclaimed host nation for the European Championships, the feeling is twofold.
Well, all of England’s group stage matches have been sold out, including the final at Wembley. 57 per cent of all English girls between the ages of 5 and 13 play football today, a figure that is expected to increase according to the association.
At the same time, the FA was largely forced to bribe clubs to arrange group matches, resulting in many of them being played at the modest Lee Sports Village (with a capacity of 8,100) and the Federation Academy Stadium (only 4,700).
The Women’s Super League is an interesting player in terms of growth. As soon as the English giants were ready to open their wallets, a lucrative TV deal was secured.
The women’s football market is still new in England – which is painfully evident when the best teams face foreign competition – but the possibilities are as limitless as when the Premier League decided to become the strongest in the world.
The other day, the FA rejected an offer from an unknown company, eager to take control of the league, for £150m. It is rumored in the industry that bidders may have ties to a system that the Federation does not wish to be associated with.
Hopefully they learn from the permissive view of the men’s league of questionable owners and investors and back off. Like female gamers in general, you always tend to do.
Only then does the pulse shine
European Championship fever has yet to reach Cheshire, where the Swedish national team lives, and my relatives report that the areas around London hardly scream football championships. On the other hand, Paris did not make an inspiring impression a few days before the finals of the 2019 World Cup, a tournament that later turned out to be a huge success.
In addition, twice as many spectators flock to the arenas compared to the Netherlands in 2017.
Three Lionesses have reached the semi-finals three times in the past seven years. Given the men’s story of horrific failures – the basis of the famous parody song “Footballs Coming Home” – it’s clear to Captain Leah Williamson and the rest of the gang that they disappointed.
I sincerely hope the opposite. All the girls in England need Old Trafford boiling and preferably a last resort at Wembley to awaken dreams that barely existed 10-15 years ago. Only then will the pulse shine properly.
