Sport England announced on Thursday that they have allocated £1m of National Lottery funding to the hosting of UEFA Women's EURO 2022 to capitalise on the expected increase in interest around women's football and in grassroots participation.

This investment will help to support the development of local plans within the host cities, which includes a combination of key partners from football, local authorities, Active Partnerships, education, public health and culture.

These legacy groups are working towards a common EURO 2022 Legacy Plan and each will be awarded around £100,000 to help to create recreational women's football opportunities in the nine proposed host cities.

'Significant and exciting event'

Speaking when the funding was announced, Sport England executive director of sport, Phil Smith said:

“EURO 22 will be a significant and exciting event, and we are delighted to be working with The FA to use it to grow the women’s game

“We believe a ‘place-based approach’ – working with local stakeholders to develop a recreational football programme for the right place, at the right time – can be instrumental in making this happen and ultimately developing women’s and girls’ football in England. 

“We know from data collected during the 2019 Women’s World Cup that there was a significant increase in the number of women playing football both during and after the tournament.  

“For EURO 22, Sport England and The FA are trying to get ahead of the game. We know the tournament will excite the fans and the public, so we want to use that excitement to support even more women and girls to start playing.”  

An opportunity to inspire

On the announcement, the FA's head of women’s football development, Louise Gear, said:

“UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 is set to be a record-breaking tournament, and one which offers us huge opportunity both to continue building the profile of women’s football and to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the game,” she said. 

“As we approach two years to go until the showpiece final takes place at Wembley Stadium, we are delighted that Sport England has announced this significant investment.

“By supporting the development plans of each of our nine dedicated host cities, we hope that we can build on the energy and excitement that comes from a home EURO to turn these regions into hubs for increased activity and opportunity in the wake of the tournament. 

“We look forward to working with Sport England and our eight Host City Legacy Groups to ensure that this investment translates into real playing opportunities for thousands of women, in turn driving participation in the game and benefitting local communities long after the tournament has concluded.”