Call me a lioness! I wear it ooooon my chest!” bawled my daughter, Pearl, on the way home from school yesterday, cranking up the car stereo to blast out the unofficial World Cup anthem for the England women’s team.
Now 11, Pearl has seen the British attitude to women’s football transform over the course of her lifetime. She has been training with our village team – Baddow Spartak – since she was six, but by the time she was nine and ready for proper matches, there weren’t enough local girls to build a team. Then came the Lioness’ triumph at the Women’s 2022 Euros and the average girl’s interest in football swelled. Pearl’s team now includes a full bench of subs. Just last month, they lifted their first tournament trophy. It was a jubilant, game-changing moment for a group of suburban kids who’ve all, at some point or another, been told by boys at school that their gender prevents them from kicking a ball.
