It was the day before the final of the Women’s Euro 2022 and Svenja Huth was the player nominated for the German pre-match press conference. As she took her seat at the top table, she looked ahead and saw a room full of media – not a single empty seat. She grabbed her cell phone and took a picture.
Huth has already won the Euros, she has won two Champions League titles and an Olympic gold medal. But even she was amazed by the sight.
It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated what a formative summer it has been for the sport.
There has been much talk about what this record-breaking tournament could do for England. After beating Germany in the final thanks to Chloe Kelly’s overtime goal, there’s even more excitement as to what comes next for the domestic game.
The hosts have drawn the most spectators – including the record-breaker in the final – and the public’s perception of the Lionesses has changed massively over the course of their run to the final.
Murals were painted up and down the players’ land. Beers were named after them. There are football fans across England with the names of these women on their shirts.
It used to be common to see young girls with Lucy Bronze or Fran Kirby on their backs. Now you see people of all ages exercising just as much with men in bars singing “Beth Mead’s on fire.” This has never happened before.
“I think what we’ve seen is that this isn’t just a change for women’s football, but for society in general,” said England captain Leah Williamson on Saturday, the day before the final. “Tomorrow is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a journey. We really started something. I want this to be a sign of the future.”
But not only in England should change something.
Record-breaking television viewers were seen across Europe, with millions tuning in to see their respective nations go head-to-head in the continent’s biggest competition.
The press compartments, even for games involving lesser developed nations in sport, were packed and coverage of the tournament was broader and broader than ever.
The number of traveling fans was also immense.
Before the tournament, Kayleigh Grieve, who works in women’s football marketing and sponsorship at UEFA, spoke to the football co Business podcast on criticism of the size of event stadiums.
“We haven’t quite got there yet [a point yet] where we have huge traveling fans behind women’s football,” she said, outlining the factors behind the choice of venues. “I think the women’s Champions League final was the first time with Barcelona that we’ve seen a huge crowd of people come and travel to an away game.”
This summer there has been a big change in that regard. Every nation has always had its loyal fans, but this time the numbers have grown massively.
Sweden’s yellow has taken over entire streets, the Netherlands’ party bus has taken it to England as it did to France 2019 and Icelandic fans have turned Manchester City Academy’s stadium into what one player’s family described as the team’s own little home.
It means we’ve seen record after record being broken. The attendance for a non-host game at Euro was first surpassed on the third day of the tournament when Spain beat Finland, before being surpassed three more times – attendances in the semi-final Germany v France now hold the record. It only took nine days for this to become the most attended women’s European Championship of all time.
However, there is still room for improvement. Disputes over the size of the stadiums have raged throughout the summer and will no doubt affect the future as the host of the 2025 edition has yet to be decided.
When venues were chosen in 2017, the choice of smaller facilities seemed appropriate for the location of the game at the time, but progress has accelerated enough that some players have struggled to even get tickets for their families this summer.
Development will only continue at this rapid rate, but not only at this highest level. It shouldn’t just be that people get excited when the World Cup comes next summer or the Euros return in three years. This moment should be used to improve women’s football as a whole.
For example, imagine the impact Belgium’s historic run into the first quarter-finals could have. The star of their tournament was Nicky Evrard – a goalkeeper who is still not a full-time footballer.
Germany, the eight-time European champions, also have a league that is still not fully professional. Some stadiums in the women’s Bundesliga don’t even have scoreboards.
England may have had a packed Wembley Stadium cheering them on on Sunday, but the Women’s Super League still aims to average attendances of just 6,000 by 2024.
The success of this tournament should of course be celebrated. But it should also serve to highlight some of the shortcomings that exist in women’s football on a day-to-day basis.
“It’s not just an event that’s here and everyone is excited about it. It has to go on,” mused national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. “Countries must have the chance to take the next steps in women’s football.
“If not now, when will it happen?”
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