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Leeds Beckett graduate helps England reach Women’s European Championship final
The 2013 BSc (Hons) Sport Studies graduate and her England teammates defeated Sweden in emphatic fashion, claiming a 4-0 victory in the semi-final hosted at Bramall Lane.
Lucy made a significant contribution to the Lionesses win, assisting Beth Mead for England’s first goal before firing home a header to double her team’s lead early in the second half.
England’s victory means the Lionesses will compete in their first major final appearance since the 2009 European Championship final, which was won by Germany, one of the two teams still to play in the second semi-final of this year’s competition.
The Lionesses will be gunning for their first ever major trophy at the home of English football, Wembley in the final on Sunday 31 July, with the winner of Germany vs France waiting for them.
The impact the tournament has had will hope to inspire the next generation of girls looking to follow in the Lionesses footsteps and start playing football.
Professor Leanne Norman, Director of the Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society within the Carnegie School of Sport, believes the tournament can have a positive impact on participation and help expand pathways for young girls looking to play football.
“I believe this tournament will be the catalyst and accelerant for the further development of football for girls and women in England. For the national team to reach a major final and in emphatic style, it not only showcases the quality, skill, and strength of the players on show but also what happens when you properly invest in and strategise women’s sport. Last night was more than just a game; it was an experience for all those watching.
Those images we saw on our screen last night of the players celebrating, the supporters rejoicing, and the vast number of media and sponsorship coverage, send the powerful message to those women and girls wanting to play the sport: ‘you belong on this pitch’. The appetite to start playing now will be huge; women’s football is already the fastest growing sport in the UK.
After the Euros, I expect to see sponsors lining up to invest in the sport and for more people to take women and girls’ participation seriously. So, it is now up to schools, clubs, organisations, and governing bodies to provide the access to play, to support women as coaches to develop their experience and provide opportunities to practice, and to increase investment of not just ‘on the pitch’ provision, but off it too.
This is to ensure we create a long-lasting legacy from this tournament to normalise girls and women’s participation within our national sport.”
Best of luck to Lucy and the Lionesses for Sunday’s Women’s European Championship final.