It is 56 years since Geoff Hurst scored the controversial goal that decided the men’s World Cup final against West Germany. Since then, England have been chasing another championship gold.
Last year the men’s national team were closer than they had been since that golden summer of 1966. But the European Championship final at Wembley was an anticlimax as Italy won on penalties.
Now it’s the ladies’ turn to try.
The “Lionesses” have charmed English football supporters this summer at the European Championships and on Sunday Germany await in the final at a sold-out Wembley.
Fought against the wind
Women’s football, including English football, however, has fought against the odds to get to where it is today.
During – and a few years after – the First World War, women’s football experienced a boost in England. When many of England’s men’s players were sent to war, audiences were attracted to women’s football, and a match in 1920 attracted a whopping 53,000 spectators, according to the AP news agency.
But in 1921 the English Football Association (FA) banned women from using the association’s facilities. “Football is inappropriate for women and should not be encouraged,” the association believed.
A ban that lasted for 50 years.
In England and in large parts of the world, women’s football has received a real boost in recent years. Interest is increasing, the English Super League (WSL) is growing and big clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have established themselves.
35-year-old Jill Scott is the one who has been in English football the longest in the English squad. She made her national team debut in 2006, has played her entire club team career in England and has thus followed the development of women’s football in the country from the first floor.
– There were around 15,000 at the final in 2009 (in Finland). To now have around 90,000 is incredible, she says and continues:
– Now we play full-time in the WSL and train full-time with the clubs. It’s like night and day. But we must not forget everyone who wore the national team shirt before, that is why we are here today, she says.
The final at Wembley will break the all-time crowd record in the EC. The previous record was around 79,000 in the 1964 men’s European Championship final between host nation Spain and the Soviet Union at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Wants to inspire the nation”
She says the European Championship with the sold-out final at Wembley is a defining moment for the sport. This summer, she has also experienced a support for the national team that she has never seen before.
– We really wanted to inspire the nation. We wanted to make our families, friends and everyone proud. We wanted to increase opportunities for young girls and boys. We wanted to increase the opportunities for women to work in football. We wanted to give the sport the respect it deserves. If you ask me, we’ve done it,” says Scott.
The final against Germany awaits on Sunday. A final she thinks about at least 50 times a day.
– It will be groundbreaking. It has already been in this tournament but another step on Sunday could make the difference.
“Reaching New Levels”
Georgia Stanway, 23, is one of the young players in England. She says that the English players have been told since the start of the tournament that the EC is bigger than themselves.
– Sarina (Wiegman, national team captain) has said from the start that we should play for the little girl who dreams of being in our shoes, she says.
Georgia Stanway, right in a duel with Kosovare Asllani, has been prominent for England.
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Stanway also has a clear message:
– We have to stop talking about how good women’s football will be and instead talk about how good it is now. We reach new levels all the time and that’s where we are now, she says.
Stanway, like Scott, says player a wants to inspire young boys and girls.
– We have thousands of children who come to the game on Sunday and it’s not just the male players that people have on their backs anymore. These are the steps that have been taken. It’s not just men’s and women’s football, it’s football in general. We are here to inspire but also to get the job done, she says.
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