England are among the favourites to win the women’s European Championship on home soil
(Picture: The FA via Getty Images)This summer’s European Championship on home soil can propel women’s football onto another plane in this country, according to leading figures in the game.
“It will turbo-charge us,” Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, told Standard Sport, ahead of England’s opening game against Austria tomorrow. “These special moments give you a special push.
“It’s what you make of it: it can be a watershed moment, but we have to be prepared to grab that inspiration and turn it into participation. I think it will accelerate the women’s game in all sorts of ways.”
Every major event in women’s football over the past two decades has been hailed as a potential watershed, but there is a feeling that this tournament comes at just the right time for the sport and the national team. Interest in the women’s game is continuing to grow apace, boosted by a landmark broadcast deal with Sky Sports and the BBC, and the quality has never been higher.
“I do believe in [watershed moments],” said Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, one of the game’s leading pioneers. “They build the base, so you capture more fans and more interest in one shot. If I look from 2012 up until these Euros, at all those pivotal moments and the impact they had at driving our domestic game, you need those big tournaments.
“The next level for us is making sure that the FA Cup Finals, the Champions League games become watershed moments in our domestic game. But I think if England were to win the Euros this summer, it could be a monumental moment in the history of the women’s game.”
The hosts will get the tournament under way at Old Trafford tomorrow night among the favourites, not least because head coach Sarina Wiegman is a reigning European champion, after leading her native Netherlands to glory in 2017.
Successive semi-finals in 2017 and the 2019 World Cup suggest her England squad are well-placed to go one better and follow the men’s team by capturing the imagination of the country this summer.
“Have we got a great squad? Yes. Have we got a world-class coach? Unquestionably,” added Campbell. “In my humble opinion, Sarina is one of best coaches I’ve ever seen in any sport.”
“People will see some really first-class sport and have a wonderful festival atmosphere around them. I think once it starts, it’ll really get momentum.”
Wiegman has been eager to play down expectations, amid competition from the likes of Spain, Germany, France, Sweden and the Netherlands, but the Lionesses have world-class talent and breezed through World Cup qualifying and their warm-up games.
As always, the tournament feels as much about the here and now as continuing to grow the sport, and England captain Leah Williamson believes the team is poised to do both.
“Now is the right time,” said the Arsenal defender. “We’re here for the long run and we’re building something for future generations and, hopefully, something sustainable.
“I’m happy to be part of the journey now, but I’m so jealous of those little girls that are going to follow in our footsteps.”
