Womens Euro 2022

The Women's Euros is over, in case you didn't already know.... it came home!!

England winning a big international tournament is a huge, huge deal regardless of the sport or the gender of the participants but this felt extra special!

I've watched more and more womens football in tbe last few years and I'm continually - and increasingly - impressed by the quality on display.

After many a false start I managed to take my kids to see Aston Villa Women last season and they loved it so we ended up going to several games.

If you've not been to watch women's football I highly recommend it! It is very affordable for a start so you get a full afternoon out for probably less than a trip to the cinema. The atmosphere is great, it's very different to the men's game.... fans are not segregated so you're all in there together and you don't seem to hear the toxicity from the stands that you would do.

Whats more, and what my kids have really enjoyed is that after the game the players come over and sign autographs, take photos with everyone and its just a really friendly environment.

We went to the AVWFC game against Man Utd and it was one of the best 0-0 draws I've seen. There were plenty of away fans which really contributed to the atmosphere with zero animosity. We were also fortunate enough to get a photo with Ella Toone, which if you jump forward to right now is a big deal!

Long story short, we're now season ticket holders for the upcoming season.

So onto the Euros... due to work and schedules combined with locations of games I only managed to commit to 2 games in the Euros - fortunately they were the semi final in Milton Keynes and the final at Wembley. I booked with zero assumption that England would reach the final, I just thought it'd be a great experience for the kids - their first trip to Wembley and an international tournament final. I always quietly hoped the Lionesses would be there but we would have gone regardless.

Bare in mind I bought 4 semi final tickets and 3 final tickets- the total bill was a mere £105 which is superb value, although it possibly allowed me to be fleeced by the kids when we were at the games :-)

Our experience at both games was fantastic. At MK we went to the fan party in the city centre and although it was apparently quiet compared to other games it was a great place to be, all the staff and stewards we met were really friendly, polite and helpful and it was nice and relaxing. We headed over to the game on the shuttle bus which again made everything smooth and easy and walked the short distance to the stadium - again all the stewards were smiling, helpful and chatting with the kids.

Stadium MK is an AMAZING stadium by the way, tonnes of leg room and a great view from or seats. Not bad considering we were in the cheapest seats!

We then watched a really competitive game, the kids discovered their love of a Mexican wave and found out the inevitable .... Germany progressing to the final against England

Onto the final, the fan party was less chilled purely based on the sheer volume of people who were there early, so we ended up going into the stadium obscenely early but it was nice to comfortably find our seats get some snacks and settle in and feel the atmosphere intensify as more people flooded in.

The whole way through I didn't feel like I was watching Women's Football.... I was simply watching football which is the way it should be. The game has everything you would expect from a big game.... action, some dodgy refereeing decisions, a real ebb and flow and plenty of nerves on display. What a game, what a day though... and what a crowd too. 

Shows what an atmosphere you can have if fans can buy all the tickets instead of most of it being corporate.... but that's a whinge for another time!

The German fans were great, again zero segregation within the fans and plenty of neutrals but the whole place was literally bouncing.

Credit to the German fans too for staying at the end too flags still waving.

Seeing those goals go in... I can't even describe how it felt, it was just unreal. And getting to share that moment with my children is simply amazing. I tried to put it in context for them ... I've never seen England win anything in my life time so not only has it happened already for them but they can forever say THEY WERE THERE. Such a huge occasion!

The coverage of the whole tournament has been excellent and has been really embraced by most of media outlets - despite some of them trying ruin it for everyone.

The BBC coverage has really tried to elevate the tournament - lots of great pundits involved, people speaking with genuine passion about the game. Part of what I really liked was having the ex England players who are clearly proud of the progress in the sport and should also be proud of their contributions to elevating it to where it is now.

The Lionesses squad really embraced the social media aspect too which i feel made them really likeable and the camp accessible and will have won over a lot of fans - they always looked relaxed and were having fun and that is contagious 

The quality on show through the tournament has been phenomenal - lots a great, competitive games, some great hols and some amazing saves - I still think the Mary Earps save against Sweden was both as good as and as important as any of the goals... although that Russo backheel was filthy!

So what is the lasting legacy? That remains to be seen of course but for me i am hoping it is two fold... firstly i hope this equates to increased attendance at Women's games... increased attendance equals increased revenues which if handled correctly can only benefit the game as a whole at all levels.

Secondly, really just to echo what Ian Wright said I really hope that this encourages more girls to play, and more places to encourage, nurture and support them so the development will continue.

Already looking forward to the next Euros .... hopefully coincide a little summer holiday to wherever its being played (World Cup in Oz is a non starter unfortunately)

The Final is one of the best experiences of my life other than the births of my children, its really hard to express it adequately so I've likely waffled on....

Hopefully this is the beginning of some real positive change and growth within women's football