After the Lionesses it’s time to be bold and create real cultural change

Few sporting occasions come more inspirational than the Lionesses’ historic victory at the Euros. There is again uplifting talk of a legacy, a cultural shift and positive social change that can come from this. But we need to admit that we have had nights like this and talked like this before. Super Saturday at London 2012 springs to mind.

There was lofty talk of legacies and inspiring a nation then, too. But as recent reviews of London 2012 have shown, from Tony Blair to UK Sport performance architect Peter Keen to the National Audit Office, we didn’t create the lasting legacy promised. It takes more than joy, elite success and a trophy to trigger an active nation – but this is the bigger goal we must keep in mind, long after the Wembley memories fade.

We have form in ambitious talk about nationwide transformation and world-leading high performance. We have become good at delivering the latter but have yet to deliver the former. Recent reviews of London 2012 10 years on have reminded us of the promises made but not kept.

Reviews highlight the loose planning around boosting participation at government level, the lack of understanding of what’s required on the ground which is so different from what’s required to succeed at elite level, and the political and social commitment to focus on building the grassroots when it’s not fashionable or in the latest headlines.

While it can seem masterminding a tournament victory is nigh on impossible – after all, it’s taken England since 1966 to achieve it in football – it’s actually even harder to mastermind reaping the benefits of sport for all across a nation. The real challenge goes way beyond identifying the next generation of Lionesses. It’s about how to ensure we reach the