Euro 2022 is here, and can be the living proof women’s football has arrived

If a tree falls in the woods but no one is there to see or hear it, does it make a sound?

For so long women’s football has been that tree, struggling to be seen or heard. There was so little coverage and attendances were so low that you could be forgiven for wondering if matches had even taken place. Now, all eyes are on the tree. There are journalists camped in the woods, laptops at the ready, a crowd has gathered around it and specialists wait nearby. The world has woken up to the existence of the women’s game in recent years and is now hungry for more.

Finally, the game is being delivered to fans on a plate and the quality is the best it has ever been.

When the England captain, Leah Williamson, steps out in front of a sold-out crowd at Old Trafford on 6 July it will be impossible to avoid the sound or sight of the tree falling. The Arsenal defender’s face, and those of her teammates, have stared out from the front pages, from billboards and adverts, appearing on everything from crisp packets to drink bottles. Day after day children have ripped open the slightly sticky Panini packets and watched as their favourite players tumble out.

It is mainstream. So mainstream that demand is outstripping the tournament’s capacity. When the FA announced its bid and list of host cities for the Euros in 2018, the collection of stadiums chosen was underwhelming. But the FA believed it was being cautiously ambitious. The number of tickets available would be double the number available for the 2017 edition in the Netherlands. Except it did not allow enough wriggle room for the huge growth the game would experience in the meantime.

Since that tournament in 2017 we have had a World Cup, in France in 2019, that captured a record audience