Hope and glory: 10 moments that changed women’s football in England

Powell deserves recognition as a pioneer of the sport. Her appointment as the first full-time England manager in 1998 and subsequent 15-year period at the helm were pivotal. A former player with 66 international caps, she instigated massive reform while in charge, fighting the FA for facilities, the establishment of a national pathway, and central contracts. The latter, of which there were 17 initially, gave players the chance to become full-time footballers. They are seen as one of the first steps in the sport’s professionalisation.

The 2005 edition, featuring just eight teams, took place in the north-west of England. The hosts were not a major force at the time but contained star quality with the likes of Kelly Smith. They exited after the group phase, with just one win from three matches, but its audience’s interest was piqued. The then record attendance for an England home game was set at the City of Manchester Stadium for the opener, with 29,092 fans turning out.

To this day, Arsenal remain the only English side to have won Uefa’s showpiece European tournament. Back in 2007, Vic Akers’s all-conquering side caught the headlines as they completed the quadruple, winning what was then the Uefa Women’s Cup. They were the underdogs as they faced and beat Sweden’s Umeå 1-0 in a two-legged final. It was an impressive feat from a squad that contained many England stars. The victory put English football on the European map, increasing the profile of the sport and its players.

The arrival of the FA Women’s Super League in 2011 was a move that has taken the domestic game to the next level. After several iterations and expansions, it turned fully professional at the start of the 2018-19 season. In addition, the WSL 2 (now the