If you were ever in any doubt about the importance of the England women’s national football team, their triumphant win in the final of the UEFA Women’s Euros has made it undeniable. With pubs staying open late on Sunday and a jubilant Lionesses victory parade taking place in London today, the UK is celebrating a match declared of 'exceptional national significance' by the government.
To my 11-year-old daughter - who trains with a squad for promising youth players and has talked of becoming a Lioness since she was three years old - this all feels completely normal. She can't conceive of a world in which women don't play football. But for those of us who grew up in a different era, this feels like a watershed; a moment not just for football or even sport, but for women.
