Celebration- the day after football came home

Monday 1st August saw Trafalgar Square packed with 7000 supporters to set the scene for England’s Lionesses to receive their deserved praise and celebrate their historic achievement with the rest of the Nation. A real sense of pride was palpable amongst those there.

56 years after the England men’s team - led by 3 West Ham United stars - last lifted a piece of significant international silverware, the Lionesses won the Women’s Euros 2022.  Again it was at Wembley and again it was against Germany!

The sun beat down as did the music – Sweet Caroline, Three Lions among those the crowd danced and sang along to.

Then, at 12.45pm the European Women’s Champions – England, took to the stage. Head Coach, Selina Wiegman paid tribute to her team, their work ethic, their attitude and the support from the Nation. Our thanks go to you Selina as you have instilled a winning mentality in the team.

The Captain, Leah Williamson, said: “we want our legacy to be about winning and that’s what we did.” Dancing was led by the match winner, Chloe Kelly, with the crowd joining in enthusiastically. The Lionesses then jubilantly lifted the trophy again to the loudly cheering, appreciative crowd.

As one the crowd and Lionesses sang, danced, and celebrated with the assembled fans, arguably one of the greatest sporting achievements of the last few years.

It doesn’t end there- they are looking towards the World Cup next year. Who could doubt their capability to go far in that competition too.

So now what is to be their legacy? The FA have pledged to get more girls playing football, there are calls for the Premier League to actively promote the Women’s Super League and more investment in football for girls/women.   

However, this isn’t just about the success of the women’s game – this is a major victory for the nation.  Imagine if football continued coming home and this was the start of a glorious and golden era of English football.   

WHUST