Roaring Change
Club Journalist, Alice Wright discusses the pivotal moment England won the Euros and the impact this had on fans across the nation.
On 9 May 2003, another football fan was born. Me. A little girl unaware of how lost she would feel in the sport she loved. But on the 31 July 2022, I was born into another family. The woso community. It was then that I finally felt seen. I had been born again.
After starting my Journalism degree in October 2021, I threw myself into the world of writing and it wasn’t long before I was contacted by my local supporters’ club to write about their women’s football team.
I had predominantly only followed men’s football throughout childhood and my early teenage years, so this was my first peek into the world of women’s football and I was encapsulated from the beginning.
From the close-knit relationship between players and fans and camaraderie in the stands, I was sold, and it was everything my younger-self yearned for. To be represented in football.
My love for the game only grew stronger as I realised my words and the articles I published could make an impact, then came that seismic afternoon at Wembley Stadium. The women’s football landscape would be changed forever.
But with BBC Sport recording an audience of 17.4 million and making it the ‘the most-watched women's football game on UK television’, I wasn’t the only one who had been influenced. Thousands of women’s football fans were born.
“You think it’s all over? It’s only just begun.” Gabby Logan, BBC Sport
Harriet Allen started supporting Manchester City Women shortly after the conclusion of the game-changing tournament.
After never watching women’s football before, she became completely invested in the Euros tournament in the summer of 2022.
So much so that she delved into the history of the Lionesses and spent almost every waking moment trying to understand more about the game.
“I became obsessed and that’s an understatement,” Harriet said.
“I spent that whole summer researching, going through files of YouTube videos, Instagram posts, Twitter posts, everything to trace back this English women’s team for about the last five years leading up to that tournament.
“It changed my life in that it became my fixation, my obsession and that love for the game and for the people, the players, it continued and I wanted to continue that engagement into the season.”
“I became obsessed and that’s an understatement.”
However, it wasn’t just the magic that happened on the pitch that inspired a deep-dive into the world of woso, but it was the powerful words of BBC presenter Gabby Logan that stuck with her.
“I remember her [Gabby Logan] saying at the end of the tournament ‘If you’ve enjoyed it, get yourself along to a WSL this season. The Lionesses have brought football home. Now it’s down to the rest of us to make sure it stays here. You think it’s all over? It’s only just begun.’ and that was it for me.”
It was towards the end of the tournament when Harriet started to research which team she should follow and how the league worked. Eventually she landed on Manchester City.
“I knew I was moving to Manchester and some of my family support Manchester City,” Harriet said.
“I’d researched a lot about the club’s legacy, their history with having players that are huge names at the club before that Euros and also seeing content about City being one of the first club’s to fully integrate their women’s team.”
That Euros not only gave her a passion and a hobby, but it also got her into sport. Three things she never had growing up.
As Gabby Logan said it had only just begun. And that was it. It was decided that Manchester City Women would be the WSL team that Harriet would follow.
Someone who followed a similar path is 19-year-old Courtney Cheetham.
She had grown up with a love for football and supported her local team, but as she grew older she lost interest as she couldn’t relate to the men playing on the pitch.
“The women’s Euros opened my eyes to the beauty of women’s football. It encouraged me to get involved and create an amazing bond with the sport. The impact they had on the nation after their win was phenomenal.”
“Through my love of women’s football, it has driven me to get involved with the journalism side of sports media!”
Courtney had not only spent time thinking about what the win meant, but it also opened her eyes to the possibility of working in sports media.
“It changed me in some ways. During the time between then and now I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of media, but at the time I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do. Through my love of women’s football, it has driven me to get involved with the journalism side of sports media! I love the passion of the sport and how much movement it holds.”
Not only had she discovered her future career, but it also persuaded her to play football in the garden and lit her creative spark.
“It made me want to get out and have fun, even if that means just having a kick about with my younger sister,” Courtney said.
“It also encouraged me to get involved with football in other ways such as creating things with my passion for art.”
At the start of the 2022/23 WSL season, Courtney began to watch City Women’s games, with her family visiting the Joie Stadium on numerous occasions.
Eventually her love for the sport snowballed and she finally felt like she could relate to the players in front of her.
“It makes me feel so included and proud to be who I am,” she said.
“I’ve formed such a supportive group of friends through the sport that I may have never found otherwise. Seeing your idols winning for your country is truly like no other.”
And it wasn’t just the next generation that were inspired.
Alison Slingsby is 36 years old and has been a football fan for as long as she can remember, but for her England’s historic victory had been more than just a trophy. The impact could not have been clearer. It had moved her.
“It gave me hope that finally women’s football may start to get the recognition it deserves. It also made me want to get back into football,” Alison said.
“It didn’t feel real at first and it gave me hope that finally we as a country were beginning a journey to finally start giving woman’s football the recognition and support it deserves.
“But its special to finally see the fan base grow in the woman’s game. It made me proud, very proud of our women’s team, and proud to be a female who loves football. To see the packed [Wembley] stadium was both refreshing and inspiring.”
Alison has since been to watch Manchester City Women’s games with her family and she was also influenced to produce the next generation of Lionesses and Cityzens.
In her spare time, she coaches a group of U11 girls at her local grass roots club, Mexborough Athletic Girls.
“It made me proud, very proud of our women’s team, and proud to be a female who loves football.”
“I absolutely love it. Helping the young girls learn and progress in doing something they love to do is an amazing feeling,” Alison said.
“Coaching means the world to me. No matter what’s going on in my personal life, good or bad, all the stress and any worries I have just disappear.
“I also refer a lot to women’s football as I want them to learn that we females have just as much right to play football, and that it is possible for us to go on and one day be on those big pitches with thousands of fans screaming your name.”
Finally, Alison stated how far she thinks women’s football can go. Spoiler alert: it’s only going to skyrocket from here.
“I believe it can go to the stars! And that makes me feel excited.”
Feature: Alice Wright