‘A nation has fallen in love’: Lionesses charge can transform girls’ football

When England emerge from the tunnel at a sold-out Wembley on Sunday to play Germany, the record eight-time winners of the competition, eyes will be on them like never before.

The Lionesses’ run to the World Cup semi-final in Canada in 2015 was unexpected and caught the attention of many back home. The journey to the final four at the Euros in 2017 and Women’s World Cup in 2019 similarly lifted the profile of women’s football and the women’s national team. This time though, something else is happening, the tournament has penetrated public consciousness like never before and the conversation is changing. People aren’t talking about women’s football; they’re talking about football.

“What is the legacy?” asks Ian Wright, who oozes passion for the women’s game. “It’s normalising the conversation. I’m hearing people talking about the football. It’s normal, it’s just football. That’s why I love it, I love women’s football because I love football.

“We don’t need to worry about the dinosaurs,” he adds. “I saw someone say something about the dinosaurs screaming at the meteor, I love it, that’s what those negative people are. See how many millions of people have been watching these women play, there’s people out there for this game.”

Former England international Rachel Yankey has been at the BoxPark fan venue in Wembley for every game, watching the support for the team swell with each game, each staggering performance.

“We’ve always known, every England team that I’ve played for has always known, that if you get to that final, if you can win it, you’ve got the opportunity to change people’s perceptions. That’s what this group has done.”

The last time England’s women’s team reached the final of a major competition, striker Kelly