‘You had to pinch yourself’ - How the 2005 Euros changed the landscape of women’s football in England

When the first Euro 2022 match kicks off on Wednesday at Old Trafford as England take on Austria, the country will be witnessing a very different tournament to the one hosted seventeen years ago. In 2005, the Football Association was preparing for the ninth edition of the women’s Euros, which was a significant opportunity for the growth of the game. With England acting as sole hosts for a major women's football event for the first time, there was a lot of pressure to ensure the tournament would make a positive impact on the general population.

There were only five venues: Bloomfield Road in Blackpool, the City of Manchester Stadium, Halliwell Jones in Warrington, Deepdale in Preston, and Ewood Park in Blackburn, which hosted the final. Ad/> At the time, England were not the powerhouse threat they are now. The hope was that they would simply make it out of their group, a feat they did not accomplish after only picking up three points in the group stages.

Euro'Now is the right time' — Williamson hopes Lionesses can inspire next generationA DAY AGO Those three points were won in their opener, a 3-2 thriller against Finland. The 17-year-old Karen Carney secured the triumph in the 92nd minute with a chip over Satu Kunnas. Losses against Denmark and Sweden would follow, but with 29,092 in attendance at the opener, it was a record for an England women's match at the time, and it helped set the tone for the rest of the tournament.