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Women's football creates unity like the men's game cannot - and England's success must be a springboard


Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Sunday was a momentous day in women's football. England's 2-1 win over Germany in the Euro 2022 final has the potential to inspire and empower a new generation. 

The trophy was the first major one the Lionesses have won. As notable as that sounds, it must be caveated by the fact that women were prohibited from playing football until 1972. All the more impressive when compared to their male counterparts, whose last success came six years before that.

In that vein, it is worth reflecting on the growing strength of the women's game and this English team and all that came before. Sarina Wiegman's tactical genius and Chloe Kelly's winner will rightly take the headlines, but there are those who came before that equally deserve credit. Those involved in setting the Women's Premier League - now evolved into the Women's Super League - provided a catalyst for change. Hope Powell's tenure as England manager from 1998-2013 created the foundations for continental glory. There are of course many more, on the pitch, in the dugout and in the stands, for whom Sunday must have felt particularly special. 

Yet there are still some - mostly men - who seek to demean these achievements, who don't like to compare it with men's football, as if they themselves could possess an iota of the technical skill of the current Lionesses squad. Granted, women's football deserves to be seen in its own right, but not for the demeaning justifications many try to cling to. 

Instead, the spectacle we saw at Wembley on Sunday can be contrasted to the men's Euro's final held there just over a year ago. Not only were England the losers that day, but it was an evening fraught with hooliganism and racism that brought shame on the country. 

Before the game, there were the hoards of fans attempting to get into Wembley without tickets, turning the outskirts of the stadium into anarchy and nearly leading to fatalities. After the game, some fans used social media to hurl racist abuse at the three players who missed in the penalty shootout. It didn't matter what had happened on the pitch, those events were enough to illustrate the barbaric, xenophobic tendencies that men's football has exuded for years - at least to this writer.

How then, are there fans of the men's game who are still disparaging to women's football? It does not contain any of the characteristics of the men's football. In fact, it totally eschews them.

In the stands at Wembley, you saw families and children who watched a new generation of idols cement their place in history. Their support created a welcoming atmosphere for both supporters and players. By doing so, they grew women's football. 

It is far from complete mind, and this victory must serve as a platform for greater investment into their grassroots game, with better opportunities for girls in football up and down the country. There is an opportunity to bring women's football up to the popularity of men's - and indeed ticket sales for the women's football have already rocketed since Sunday. The game has so much potential, and it is without the stains carried by the men's game.

Because this is the thing. The Lionesses currently create unity; The Three Lions fuel hatred. No matter what is done on the pitch, the women's game, at both club and international level, is more welcoming, inclusive and respectful than men's football. 

Perhaps those are lessons for the men's game. If there is a way to disassociate The Three Lions with the disorderly behaviour, racism, sexism and homophobia that is so frequently shown by those in attendance then the FA better put it in action. It feels sadly too ingrained for any meaningful change there though.

While that remains, England women will always be more likeable than England men. Their success will be important but all that really matters is what they stand for, and the last few days have illustrated the togetherness that they can create.

Every sport has their platform moments - this can, and should, be the one for women's football. We salute you, Lionesses!

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