Twenty years ago, a quintessentially British comedy burst on to the big screen.
The plot revolved around a heroine who was forced to hide a deep dark secret from her parents.
The secret she was keeping from them didn’t involve her sexuality, nor was she hiding an unexpected pregnancy.
What was so shameful she couldn't tell her mum and dad? Simply that she’d joined a football team and was sneaking off to secretly play in matches.
With the England’s Women’s team reaching the finals of the Euros on Sunday, the storyline of Bend It Like Beckham sounds – as good as the film was at the time – like something from the dark ages.
Yes, there is still some way to go before the women’s game gets parity with the men’s in terms of what women players can earn and how many people watch when it’s not an international fixture.
But the performance of the Lionesses on Tuesday has done an immeasurable job in closing the gap.
Watching women play football isn’t new in our house. When he was much younger, my son played Fifa on his games console and would regularly pick all-female squads. When I asked him why he said because they’re better and it’s more fun.
And while that introduction may have been virtual, both of my boys have thoroughly enjoyed this summer’s tournament. But what I want to see more of is its influence on our young girls.
It’s great that the idea of budding players sneaking off to play behind their parents’ back is nowadays laughable. But something must be done to harness this moment and to really support more young women playing the game.
Of course, not every girl who plays will become a conquering Lioness. But how brilliant would it be if football, undoubtedly the most popular sport in the country if not the world, inspired girls as well as women across the country to take up the sport?
A survey by Nuffield Health this week found that half of British women have not done vigorous exercise in the past 12 months, compared to 34% of men.
Many said they lack motivation – I know I certainly have – while 55% said lack of time was also a barrier. That’s no surprise, especially as women with kids do the lion’s share of the work at home.
On Sunday I’ll be keeping everything crossed that England go all the way and in the debrief afterwards the question of how the seeming lack of racial diversity will need to be addressed. But I sincerely hope it’s the start of a new love affair with women and girls and sport. We’ll all be the better for it.
