Opinion: It’s a goal for inclusivity at the Women’s Euros

I didn’t watch England Women progress to the Final of the Euros on Tuesday night. But I did walk past a pub showing the game. I was struck by the fact that this game – one which may not have even been televised a few years ago – was on the big screen, with crowds watching the Lionesses, in exactly the same way they watched the Lions last summer.

Catching the highlights, it’s no wonder. Four goals including Alessia Russo’s cheeky back heel, this was a rout – and very far from the idea that women’s football is a poor imitation of the men’s game. It is stylish, dynamic and – as in the case of Mary Earps’ fine save in the first half – it comes with quick reflexes.

With Sunday’s final now on the horizon – where England will face either Germany or France – we can take stock of this Euros and acknowledge that while the men’s game still remains dominant, when it comes to the football conversation, there’s a fair amount it can learn from watching women – off, as well as on, the pitch.

When I stand in Arsenal’s North Bank for the first home game of the new season of the Premier League this August, I will be – as I have been for around a decade of attending games – in the minority in a space which is, typically, very male. While this has changed a bit over the years – and I now have female pals who sometimes attend the games with me – I’ve been struck by the mixed crowds at the games at the Women’s Euros this summer. Watching the opening match at Old Trafford on TV, it was refreshing to see the stadium packed with women – and with families. The demographic is said to be 50/50 between men and women; a contrast to Premier League matches where women make up 26% of fans at games.

This mix may partly be down to the ticket prices: the group-stage tickets were around £20, compared to around €125 for the equivalent at Euro 2020. But it’s also probably to do with how football culture has changed at a grass-roots level. In 2020, it was announced that 3.4m women and girls were playing football in the UK, with a 54% increase in affiliated women’s and girls’ teams since 2017. Women’s football might not have the coverage, sponsorship or wages of men’s, but it is now part of many lives. Girls are driven to practice on weeknights too now. As living legend (sorry, biased) Ian Wright said after the semi-final on Tuesday night, women’s football is ‘here to stay’.

While there are undeniably problems with women’s game – the lack of diversity across race remains an issue and the pay disparity compared to male players shows sexism is still alive and well – it is, in some ways, far more progressive. Jack Daniels, the Blackpool forward, became the first active male footballer to say he was gay in May this year; an act of huge bravery and, one hopes, a sign of things to come. Female footballers, by contrast, are open about their relationships with other women – from American sensation Megan Rapinoe, who came out in 2012, to players in Euro 2022 including England’s Beth Mead and The Netherlands’ Vivianne Miedema, judged to be one of the best in the world.

With the final taking place on Sunday, this tournament has – to use a football cliché – confounded expectations, especially for England fans. Beforehand, I spoke to an expert in the women’s game who said she didn’t think England could get to a final. The fact that they have is exciting and a huge achievement. One that goes way beyond any chat about gender. That they have also given us some ideas of what all football should look like now – with mixed crowds, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and great back heels – is a bonus.

To paraphrase Wrighty, let’s hope those ideas are here to stay – and that those Lionesses have practised their penalties.