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‘It’s just the same, isn’t it?’ my friend said, as we stood, our backs to the TV, while England took penalties in the Euro 2025 quarter-final against Sweden.
It was an all-too-familiar scenario: pacing the living room, hearts racing, as another player took their position in front of the goal, soundtracked by our cries of ‘I can’t watch!’
He wasn’t referring to England’s famously bad track record at penalty shoot outs though, but the fact that we were watching the Lionesses, rather than the men’s squad.
The highs, the lows, the utter agony of being an England fan, was just the same.
I can’t remember the first time I went to a football match, but I think I was about four-years-old.
Watching sport was a big part of my childhood. Leeds United’s anthem, Marching On Together, was preferred over nursery rhymes and my first major crush was the bleach-blonde-haired striker Alan Smith.
As a woman, I’ve never felt that I didn’t belong in the stands, and that wasn’t just exclusive to football. I’ve cheered at the rugby, speedway, tennis, and the Olympics. I’ve even branched out to baseball (essentially rounders) and there was one very, very, long afternoon at an NFL match (although cricket reigns supreme as the most boring sport I’ve had the misfortune of bearing witness to).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a die-hard fan. Post-match analysis makes me yawn and I couldn’t tell you anything about the summer transfer window. And frankly, if it gets much below 10C, I’m not going. But suffice to say, I like watching sport.
And as far as I’m concerned, the experience of watching ‘women’s football’ is indeed just the same. The adrenaline rush is just as intense; a win just as satisfying.
So, when I hopped on the Tube on Tuesday night to head to the pub for the semi-final against Italy, I assumed I’d be one of a sea of England shirts.
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Granted, I know there is still a certain variety of person (let’s face it, usually men) who find the concept of a woman playing football a little too hard to comprehend.
But still, this was a big deal: we’re the reigning champions of Europe, a win meant reaching a third consecutive final of a major tournament (which, spoiler, we did).
And yet, I soon noticed I was the odd one out, so much so that I genuinely wondered if I’d got the day wrong. On my journey across London, the only three lions I saw, were on my own T-shirt.
That’s not to say you have to wear the badge to be a supporter (although I’ve always been a sucker for merch), but it was in stark contrast to the way the streets turn red and white when the men play.
England Lionesses Nike Home Stadium Shirt 2025 – Womens
Rep the Lionesses in the official 2025 home shirt from Nike. Designed with a classic look and modern performance features, it’s made with breathable Dri-FIT fabric to keep you cool and comfortable.
Obviously, I don’t condone the dangerous displays of vandalism and violence we’ve seen in the past – I’m not about to suggest inserting flares into unmentionable places – but not so much as a scarf, or even a flag?
When the men played in the Euros final last summer, the city had whipped itself into a frenzy.
Flags flew from windows and cars, and people talked of taking the following day off work, as a win would surely mean partying into the early hours.
To me, the lack of enthusiasm for Leah, Lucy, Michelle and their teammates feels insulting. What is about women’s football that doesn’t deserve the same kind of celebration? I’m genuinely asking, because I don’t understand.
People love to harp on about how the games are different: women are slower, less technical. ‘It’s like watching lower league football’ is a phrase that gets banded around. But so what? How does that make it any less of an achievement that we’re in the final?
Surely there’s actually more cause for fanfare. Women’s football was famously banned by the FA in 1921 who branded it ‘quite unsuitable for females’. In particular, there was concern that its growing popularity would somehow be a threat to the men’s game.
The ban wasn’t lifted until 1971 – that’s 50 long years during which the men progressed and developed, while women were forced to wait in the wings.
And yet, despite being put on pause for five decades, the Lionesses are winning titles (side note: the men have never won the Euros) and creating a culture that fosters a sense of belonging, from rainbow armbands to the campaign for darker-coloured period-proof shorts, to proving that you can still be a world-class athlete with manicured nails and lifted lashes.
If you consider yourself a football fan, not supporting the Lionesses tells me all I need to know about you.
The long and short of it is that England are in the Euros final, and if you’d be half-cut at the pub by midday on Sunday waiting for the men to kick off, you should ask yourself why you’re not doing the same for the women.
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