Football VAVEL

What impact will the Lionesses' historic Euros win have on women's football?

Sarina Weigman's side secured England's first trophy since 1966 in front of 87,192 people at Wembley, but what is next for the sport?

What impact will the Lionesses' historic Euros win have on women's football?
Leah Williamson and Millie Bright lift the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 trophy (Photo by Catherine Ivill - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
owen-barnard
By Owen Barnard

The Lionesses secured a monumental 2-1 victory against Germany to win their first ever major trophy, and England's first since the men's World Cup in 1966 on Sunday afternoon at Wembley

Goals from Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly gave England the victory in extra time, in a match which smashed records on and off the field. 

According to the BBC, the match reached a peak television audience of 17.4 million people, with a further 5.9 million streams online, making it the most-watched programme in the UK in 2022 so far.  

The Sun also reports that the 87,192 attendance at Wembley broke the record for an international match held in Europe, which was set back in 1964. 

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It certainly feels like a landmark occasion for women's football, particularly so in England, but what impact will Sarina Weigman's side's tournament win have on women's football?

Increased attention

If you had told the England Women's side that were beaten 6-2 by Germany in the final in 2009 that the next side to face their arch rivals in the final would avenge them, they would have been delighted.

If you added in the fact that the winners would hold the front and back pages of every major newspaper for their success, as well as playing in front of a record crowd and television audience, they may not have believed you.

However that is the reality of just how massive the victory was for the Lionesses at Wembley, not just for the trophy on the day, but for the future development of the women's game. 

Many will have been inspired by the resilience shown by England to bring football home despite having been pegged back after Lina Magull equalised late on in the second half. 

The hope and expectation therefore will be that there is an increased participation and engagement with the women's game at every different level, which will be vital to growing the sport.

This was recognised by Lionesses captain Leah Williamson in her post-match interview, where she said: "The legacy of this tournament is the change in society.

"The legacy of this team is winners and that is the journey. I love every single one of you, I'm so proud to be English."

It is clear that the famous win for England will mean far more than just the trophy they have won for every level of the game, and will hopefully provide a huge boost to young women playing football and watching football also.

More fans

With such an impressive attendance on the day and with incredible viewing figures, it would be reasonable to suggest that attendances in the FA Women's Super League, or the WSL, will be likely to increase next term. 

It has been proven even before England won the Euros that with good advertising and allowing women to have the platform they deserve, the game can thrive.

The record WSL attendance set by Tottenham Hotspur Women in their 0-2 loss against Arsenal Women, a 38,262 crowd, was set in November 2019 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona Women played in front of a whopping 91,468 crowd in their UEFA Women's Champions League game against Wolfsburg Women at the Camp Nou

There has been proof in recent years that women's football already has a big fanbase, clubs just need to do more to accommodate them.

England Women's landmark victory will hopefully be the occasion that convinces big clubs to allow their sides to play on the big stages, to make women's football accessible to more people and continue to increase exposure for the game. 

Increased sponsorship

According to the Mail Online, the Lionesses' victory could see a huge spike in sponsorship towards the game, with captain Leah Williamson set to make as much as £4 million from the result in sponsorship money. 

The fact that the match led to an increase in interest from sponsors towards women's football is undoubtedly a huge boost for the growth of the game.

Better pay for players will help to close the pay gap between male and female players, as with more money in the women's game from sponsors, the players will hopefully earn more as a result.

The other positive of seeing an increase in sponsorship in women's football is that it will inevitably lead to the sport being promoted more.

If fans can continue to show up in their numbers to watch women's football as they have done throughout the tournament, then sponsors will be more willing to pay to promote the games and put more cash into the game.

This will in turn help to develop women's football further and allow the players to be paid more fairly, creating a win-win situation given that there is a heightened interest from sponsors towards investing in the WSL and Lionesses following the Euros win.

Overall therefore, the Lionesses' Euros victory could mark a seismic shift towards giving women's football the platform and funding it deserves, arguably a greater achievement than winning the trophy itself.