I may be Welsh but I will be fully backing England's Lionesses when they take on Germany in the Euro 2022 final at a sold-out Wembley.
No, I haven't lost or abandoned my national identity or ceased my support for our inspirational athletes this side of the Severn. Hear me out.
A disclaimer first of all: I was lucky enough to travel to Nice as a football reporter to cover England for two weeks during the 2019 Women's World Cup in France and credit sitting down with a number of Lionesses for interviews as the starting point for a general fondness and interest I have for the team.
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Leah Williamson, now England captain, was on the periphery of the squad at the time, when Phil Neville was in charge, and despite managing just six minutes on the field as a substitute, her commitment to do anything she could to help the team was genuine. Nikita Parris' energy was infectious as she spoke about pressure as if it was a foreign concept to her.
Jill Scott's candour and longevity is brilliant, watching Lucy Bronze mix it with the best footballers in the world is a joy, and masterclass, Mary Earps is making goalkeeping fashionable with her world-class stops and that Alessia Russo backheel nutmeg goal was an absolute jaw-dropper.
It has warmed my heart to hear how people who aren't traditionally interested in women's football have engaged with this tournament, talking about what is actually going on on the pitch, form, tactics and selection rather than just the human element of the sport. These players are rightly being lauded for their immense talent, skill and dominance in a world where women's belonging in the sporting world is still not universally accepted.
When the Lionesses line up to face Germany at Wembley to try and claim major silverware for the first time in their history, in some ways they mirror their male counterparts' World Cup final win over the Germans in 1966. Only, back then, women weren't even allowed to play football. The FA banned women's football for 50 years from 1921 - with the FA of Wales following suit - after declaring it "quite unsuitable for females", informing men's clubs they should refuse to let women play at their grounds.
Personally, the joy I get from watching Euro 2022, with the help of England's performances and results, catapult women's football into the mainstream and public consciousness like never before overrides rivalry with Wales' biggest sporting foe.
Also, I think it's hard not to like the Lionesses as individuals and characters. And that's what (women's) sport needs, in general: authentic people you can connect with who make you want to cheer them on and follow the entire team and sport. We have them in abundance in Wales: Jess Fishlock, Jasmine Joyce, Lauren Price, Sophie Ingle, Siwan Lillicrap, Elinor Barker. The list goes on.
You'd have to bring me down from the moon if Wales were in the Euros - Gemma Grainger's team are on course to secure a play-off spot for next year's World Cup. Wales' most-capped footballer Jess Fishlock has herself said watching the Euros unfold is inspiring Wales as they prepare for their remaining two World Cup qualifiers in September, away to Greece and home to Slovenia.
"There's been a couple of teams in this tournament that we actually have done really well against," Fishlock said. "Obviously it's kind of bittersweet because we didn't qualify and we felt like we have enough talent to have done that. But it kind of really has given us massive motivation for the World Cup qualifiers we have next month.
"With the men qualifying it kind of gave us a little bit more [inspiration] and then watching this tournament unfold and kind of really push women's football, I think, to another level back home."
Despite their absence on the European stage this summer, I believe Wales can still benefit from the success across the border. Nine million viewers watched England's dramatic quarter-final win over Spain on TV and streaming was a UK record for women's football, while Tuesday's semi-final recorded 11 million viewers.
I imagine it has been nigh on impossible to avoid coverage of the Lionesses when their games have been on mainstream TV and covered left, right and centre, whether it be in newspapers, social media, YouTube or online, and that can only be a good thing for the growth of football, women's football, and girls' participation in sport in general.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright, a long-time advocate of women's football, said after England's semi-final defeat over Sweden: "Whatever happens in the final now, if girls are not allowed to play football, just like the boys can, in their PE, after this tournament then what are we doing? We’ve got to make sure that they are able to play and get the opportunity to do this."
That goes far beyond England. FAW boss Noel Mooney agrees with Wright's point, while Welsh Government's deputy minister for arts and sport Dawn Bowden said of the comment: "Access and participation is absolutely our objective."
In December, the FAW outlined its five-year strategy to make the game inclusive for everyone in Wales. Their ‘Our Wales: For Her, Ein Cymru: Amdani Hi’ strategy also details a drive to double the size of the women's and girls' game by 2026, with 10,000 players currently registered. They have also pledged to double investment and fan base.
All of those aims will be made more achievable if women's football is part of everyday conversation and activity and England flying at Euro 2022 is doing wonders for the sport far and near, home and away.
Let's cheer them on, I say. Their success also shows the importance of athletes seizing the moment, especially in women's sport.
We have Wales' remaining football World Cup qualifiers in September, and then the Women's Rugby World Cup kicking off in September, which Wales have been working hard for in pre-season.
"I've loved the Euros," said Wales rugby head coach Ioan Cunningham. "I watched the Lionesses [semi-final], they were brilliant. I loved the atmosphere. The game itself was great, it was great to watch.
"We talk about it with the group as well. A lot of the girls are watching the games and getting excited by the opportunity that's ahead of us. We've spoken about it, the stage is there for them come October, they've got to step up and express themselves. That's what we're excited about."
In my mind, the widespread growth of women's sport is to be celebrated over our traditional rivalry with England.
I wouldn't try and convince anyone or tell them what they should feel, like I'd expect others to respect my opinion.
Would I feel the same way about supporting Gareth Southgate's England? Nope.
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