It's been less than a month since more than 87,000 people packed out Wembley Stadium to take in England's last-gasp victory over Germany in the UEFA Women's Euro final.
It was an historic occasion; the whole country watching, spellbound, as the Lionesses banished 56 years of hurt by clinching England's first major title since 1966 with a win over their long-lamented nemesis. And now that the billowing silver ticker tape has settled and the fevered choruses of 'Sweet Caroline' have melted into the abyss, there's hope that the heroics of Sarina Weigman's team will help to spark a revolution in the women's game.
At least, that's the hope of Chantelle Thompson, who will captain third-tier Liverpool Feds when they line up against Wolves in their season opener at Jericho Lane on Sunday.
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“Its incredible to see the impact of the Euros already," Chantelle told the ECHO. " Even the FA Cup prize money has gone up.
"I think we got £600 for winning one of the rounds last year and this year it will be £4k. It's mad to see that jump in money because it's going to make such a massive difference to so many grassroots clubs in just one game.”
Chantelle's path to playing for the Feds is a well-trodden one. She first started kicking a ball around at six years old in a bid to emulate her footballing idol, Paul Scholes, and her natural ability saw her enlisted in the youth ranks of both Everton and Manchester United.
But Chantelle grew disillusioned with life in the upper echelons of women's youth football, where it quickly became apparent that the prospect of a sustained career in the game was neither enticing nor realistic. She said: "I t got to a point when I was about 14 or 15 where, for what you were putting into women’s football, you weren’t getting enough out of it.
"I made the choice that I wanted to enjoy going out and things like that, so I left that club environment. My friends all played for the Feds and so when I was about 18 I thought, ‘I’ll go and try it’, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Now 33, Chantelle juggles her day job at the passport office with twice-weekly training sessions for the Feds, plus matches every Sunday. Following promotion from the National League Division One North last season, the team will play in the Northern Premier Division in the upcoming campaign - the highest level the Feds have competed ever at.
But life in the third tier of the women's game is a far cry from the men's equivalent, League One, where all of the players are full-time professionals. Instead, the tapestry of Liverpool Feds is woven with women who have a varied roster of careers, ranging from police officers to teachers, and even doctors.
Chantelle said: “We’ve got so many different professions in our team, it's just mad.
"The commitment they have to put in is amazing because there are a lot of girls who finish 10 or 12-hour shifts and come to training, or come to a match on the Sunday on no sleep after doing a night shift. Its crazy.”
The feat of balancing football with a full-time job is something Liverpool Feds' manager, Leanne Duffy, is well-acquainted with. During her playing career, Leanne worked as a civil servant in the prison service while also establishing herself as an integral member of Everton Women's squad.
Leanne said: “I've played football since I can remember. I was about ten when they stopped us from playing mixed football, so I didn’t play competitive football again until I was 12.
“I signed for Liverpool at 16 and was there for about four years before I moved to Everton, where I spent the rest of my career. I retired just before the WSL started because I’d been having a couple of knee injuries, so I haven’t really experienced the highs of the professional game as a player.”
Despite captaining Everton, winning both the FA and League Cups, and playing in the Champions League, Leanne wasn't granted the celebrity status now afforded to the likes of England captain Leah Williamson and Liverpool's own Nikita Parris. Instead, when Leanne hung up her boots she turned her attention to coaching, spending a couple of years working at Everton's Centre of Excellence before taking the reins at Liverpool Feds in 2015.
Leanne said: “I got asked to come and watch the Feds and see whether I’d be interested in coaching. I instantly just fell in love with it.
"The last few weeks, being able to look at social media and see so much positivity about women’s football, has been fantastic. So many of us have had to defend it for years and there’s not been a lot of support or interest outside of the game.
"Now that's all changed and hopefully we can ride the wave and keep growing from this because it's been incredible to see the change in the last month.”
And the impact of this summer's tournament is already being felt at Jericho Lane, where chairman Bill Stewart said the club has seen a noticeable increase in interest from fans, players, and sponsors alike.
He said: "There’s just been a fantastic reaction in every way since the Euros, we’ve got people interested in getting involved with the club, we’ve got children wanting to get involved and we know we’re going to get inundated with extra players next year. For the first time in the women’s game, there are famous players.
"Kids have idols and role models to look up to and aspire to be like. Everybody is jumping on board and trying to grow the game as much as they can. You have to try and not get emotional about it all."
Bill's emotional attachment to Liverpool Feds is unsurprising considering that he's been involved with the club since shortly after its inception in 1990. Originating from the Liverpool Institute of Higher Education (now known as Liverpool Hope University), the Feds originally entered the North West Women’s Regional Football League.
Over the last three decades, the club has been on a measured upward trajectory that led to them winning promotion after a stellar 21/22 league campaign in which they lost only one game. The fact that they finished last season above clubs such as Leeds United and Newcastle, both backed by established Premier League outfits, makes their endeavours all the more impressive, although Bill concedes it may be some time before they can think about making another step up.
He said: "When promotion came, we were ready for it. The team and the club are ready for this level.
"We’re not necessarily ready for the next level. We can well compete in the league but I think it will be a few years before we can think about going on to win it.
"Financially, the next level is way away from us at the moment so the club has once again got to develop. It is really difficult for us because we have around a £15,000 shortfall at the start of every year that we have to find.
"It’s a hell of a lot of money involved with the travelling that we do and training facilities. People would be amazed by how much it costs to run a club but we manage to get through year by year.”
And the prospect of coming up against teams like Wolves, who were denied promotion to FA Women’s Championship after losing out to Southampton in the playoffs, is a mouth-watering one for Chantelle and the rest of the team.
She said: " To be honest, I think it's been a long time coming. We’ve always fallen at the last hurdle so to finally get to this level, there’s a real big buzz about it and we’re just looking forward to showing what we can do.
"We’re going to be competing against teams who are backed by Premier League and Championship clubs and we’re one of the only women’s only clubs who are self-funding and self-sufficient, so I think that adds another layer to it.
"We’re just little old Liverpool Feds doing it on our own and representing our city.”
Liverpool Feds will take on Wolves at Jericho Lane Sports Hub at 2pm on Sunday, August 21.
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