Euro 2022: Lionesses' success shows how far game has come

On a night that saw the England women's football team sweep aside Sweden to reach the Euro 2022 final, one of their fans nearly managed to upstage them.

Footage of a young girl, wearing a full England strip, singing and dancing to Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline went viral.

For many it was a moment even greater than the outrageous backheel that helped secure the Lionesses' victory. Will the win inspire the next generation?

Instead, perhaps, it showed how far the game had come. The girl, eight-year-old Tess, from Wakefield, is already a keen footballer. Her grandmother said "Tess doesn't need any inspiring" as she "absolutely loves football".

Asked about the moment on BBC Breakfast, Tess said: "When I'm older I want to be a footballer, so I was looking for how they were celebrating, and thinking of how I was going to celebrate."

The win comes at a time of increasing interest in the women's game, with the number of girls playing for football teams rising by more than 40% in the last three years.

Millions tuned in at home. The semi-final saw the highest attendance at a women's Euros; the tournament has already smashed the record for most fans, with the previous landmark of 240,055 being passed in the group stages alone.

Ex-players and campaigners expressed hope that the win could continue a transformation in the game and encourage even more girls like Tess.

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For former Lionesses manager Hope Powell, who was banned from playing football when she was 11, it was important to remember "what came before has got us to the point we are today".

"England reaching another final, more girls wanting to play the game, it's just absolutely fantastic the transformation of women's football in this country," she told the BBC's Today programme.

Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright said nothing was going to stop women's football after Tuesday night's success.

"The women's game is here and it is here to stay. What we are seeing with these ladies, and the way they are inspiring everybody, is nothing is going to stop it," Wright told BBC Breakfast, adding that more needed to be done to widen access.

"When you consider there is only 63% of girls who have the same access as boys to football, this is why I am hoping by 2024 what the FA and Barclays are doing is making sure that [access] can happen in every school for boys and girls and 100% of girls can get the opportunity to play football."

The FA's aim, in its Women's Euro 2022 legacy report, is for 75% of schools to provide equal access for girls to play football within PE lessons by 2024.

Success on the pitch follows a rise in interest in the women's game with Football Association (FA) figures showing a 43% increase in participation in girls teams since 2019, up to 11,196 girls, while there was also a 28% rise in mixed team participation.

Former Arsenal and England defender Alex Scott told the BBC she thought the success of the team was the result of years of work to grow women's football in the country.

"But [after] the FA investment, everyone who has been involved in women's football has been waiting for this moment. It's special," she said.

The Female Development Programme, launched in 2013, was funded by £3.7m from the FA and Sport England to get more women and girls involved in football.

Last year, the FA reached a £7m to £8m deal with the BBC and Sky to broadcast the Women's Super League (WSL).

Euro 2022 has already beaten the record for the most fans at a Women's Euros

Campaigners This Girl Can said: "Just as they did in 2019, the Lionesses have once again captured the nation's attention and hearts. This is especially important for young girls who might not have otherwise seen football as 'for them'.

"The key is now for organisations to ensure that every young girl can carry out their dream of playing and emulating their heroines," said the organisation's lead Kate Dale.

Unlike Tess, 11-year-old Talya, from London, has no ambitions to be a professional.

For her football is "just a thing that I do with my friends sometimes". She enjoyed the match from home with her family ("they [the women's players] don't roll around like the men").

On Sunday the team have the chance to win a major tournament, something that has eluded the men for decades.

Win or lose, the game is already part of life for girls like Tess and Talya.

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