Will and Tom had gone to Villa Park for Sunday’s game against Everton, but found themselves standing in a crowd of about a thousand people watching the women’s World Cup final on a screen outside Aston Villa’s stadium.
As England’s goalkeeper Mary Earps dived to save Spain’s penalty in the 71st minute, the crowd, overwhelmingly male and clad in Villa gear, gasped and applauded. With 15 minutes to go, before extra time was awarded, Will was confident that football could still be coming home.
