Nothing will stop women’s football thriving in England – Ian Wright

Ian Wright says nothing will stop women’s football thriving in England after the Lionesses stormed into the Euro 2022 final with a 4-0 thrashing of Sweden on Tuesday.

Sarina Wiegman’s side overcame a tough start at Bramall Lane to blow away a team ranked second in the world, with Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo and Fran Kirby on target.

Former Arsenal forward Wright said during BBC’s coverage he felt “as proud as I’ve felt of any England side” and reiterated his positivity on its breakfast programme ahead of Sunday’s Wembley final.

“The women’s game is here and it is here to stay. What we are seeing with these ladies, and the way they are inspiring everybody, is nothing is going to stop it,” Wright told BBC Breakfast.

“I love it, I hope they can finish it off simply because they deserve to. And again all those heroes, the mums, the dads, the brothers, the uncles, all those people that had to take those girls all over the country just to play football, they must be sitting there so proud at the moment.

“When you consider there is only 63 per cent of girls who have the same access as boys to football, this is why I am hoping by 2024 what the FA and Barclays are doing is making sure that (access) can happen in every school for boys and girls and 100 per cent of girls can get the opportunity to play football.”

Former England and Arsenal defender Alex Scott believes the team’s success is a result of years of hard work to grow the women’s game.

“It is hard for me not to get emotional right now because the amount of investment which has gone into the women’s game is for a moment like this,” she said on the BBC.

The women's game is here and it is here to stay. What we are seeing with these ladies, and the way they are