It’s not just the Lionesses who have made the Euros such a roaring success
THE bad news is that Boris Johnson will now have one final attempt at shamelessly hijacking the euphoria surrounding a sport he cares as little about as the truth.
The good news is that when the Lionesses walk out at a packed Wembley on Sunday, in front of a TV audience that could climb towards 20million, there will be no looking back.
Women’s football in the UK will finally have come of age.
And after decades of hard work, investment,
near-misses, cynicism, apathy, female voices struggling to win respect and a coaching and fitness revolution that has seen the standards soar, that breakthrough could not be more deserved.
That the moment arrives with players whose love of the game is so evident and whose talent and confidence can be summed up in Alessia Russo’s sublime backheel against Sweden, is a bonus.
But another, more important bonus, is that even had England lost Tuesday’s riveting semi-final, the breakthrough for women’s football had already arrived.
The viewing public had seen enough from Sarina Wiegman’s team and the other top sides to realise just how far the women’s game has come.
Fans have taken to this tournament in big numbers, not just because it offered much-needed escapism, but because the football being played, and the atmosphere it’s been played in, is so enjoyable.
For the first time I can remember, people were talking in the pub about matches that didn’t involve England’s women. They had watched the Spanish, French and Germans and were impressed with the quality on show.
And there is much to be impressed with, not least the amount of honesty and respect, compared with the men’s game. There is no abusing the referee when a decision goes against them and few attempts to con officials (apart from Ellen White’s shocking dive for a penalty against Norway).
The technical levels, the fitness, control, focus, tactical awareness and speed of thought have improved dramatically since the last Euros five years ago.
In Tuesday’s game England’s players were pulling off Cruyff turns and backheeling goals, but far more impressive was their mental resilience.
They soaked up the early pressure but had the composure and nous to wrestle back control then overpower the second-best team in the world.
But this would not be a seminal moment in the women’s game if it were just about a talented England side having a shot at burying the ghosts of 1966. The foundations would be too flimsy.
What gives greater hope that a breakthrough has arrived is that many football fans would still watch Sunday’s final even if Sweden had gone through, because they would be drawn to it by the skill and drama on offer.
The psychological barrier has been broken down. Gone are the days of Formula One driver Nico Rosberg saying, as he did of the 2011 World Cup: “It’s like the Paralympics... people who are not quite as good.” Or former Chelsea player Jason Cundy arguing high-pitched voices in the commentary box makes football unwatchable.
This tournament has silenced the male dinosaurs who think a woman’s place in football is serving the pies. The caustic response to old sexists who reared their heads on Twitter, from the likes of Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, received widespread applause.
There is still much to be done for the FA to reach its ambitious target of lifting average Women’s Super League attendances from 2,000 to 6,000 by 2024.
Yet this tournament, not just what happens on Sunday, has given them that chance.
Hopefully it’s convinced many they’re not just watching a fantastic summer for women’s football, but a fantastic sport worth following through the winter and beyond.