Lionesses ready to permanently alter the English game
On Sunday, England’s Lionesses will take on Germany in the Women’s Euro 2022 final at Wembley Stadium, where a sold-out crowd is expected.
Former England player Karen Carney, who scored a goal in the 6-2 loss by Germany in the Euro final in 2009, says that’s what happened.
The women’s game in England has evolved beyond recognition since that humiliating defeat to a Germany team years ahead of their time at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki.
Home-based workers in England were still a minority at the time, and most could easily go through a packed retail mall unseen.
There was almost minimal media coverage of the event.
I’m not going to say it anymore.
For Sarina Wiegman’s ultra-professional team, the nation is captivated by the talent and intensity of their game as well as their good feelings on and off the field.
There was a high BBC TV viewership of 9.3 million people for this week’s 4-0 triumph over Sweden in the semi-finals, and that number is expected to be exceeded on Sunday when the Lionesses take on Germany in their final.
According to Carney, who has been a frequent sports analyst for the men’s game since that final 13 years ago, “the game in England has altered beyond belief.”
When I first came to the United States, only a handful of players, like myself, had made the move to the United States to play full-time professional soccer.
“The Women’s Super League, which has helped transform the landscape, is one of the greatest tournaments in the world,” he said.
As a result, the country’s leading teams have all gotten on board, making it possible for female players to earn significant salaries without having to leave the country.
With the likes of Arsenal’s Beth Mead and Manchester United’s Alessia Russo being top scorers, sponsors will be scrambling to get their hands on these players.
An estimated 55,000 pounds ($66,913) will be paid out to English players who win the tournament, but it is hard to put a price on the influence the tournament will have on the women’s game, which has yet to be fully realised in the nation.
Record attendances, viewership, and engagement at the grassroots level are all increasing, according to BBC sports reporter Gabby Logan, who has served as an anchor for the broadcast.
As a graph, “it’s just going up and seems like, as they say in business language, this might be a hockey stick moment.”
Even if England fails to defeat eight-time European champions Germany in front of a full Wembley crowd, the Lionesses have already set the stage for a new era in women’s football by igniting the blue light.
There will be celebrations around the nation if victory is achieved.
I don’t think anything will be able to prepare the players for this,” Carney said. “These are the situations that build memories and the final is obviously more special being an England against Germany.”
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