MY ACCOUNT
England captain Leah Williamson believes the Women’s Euro 2022 final is not the end of the story for this Lionesses team, describing the mark Sunday’s match can have on the sport.
Just 90 minutes separate Sarina Wiegman’s side from a first Euros title, having fallen short at the final hurdle in the past, but historic rivals Germany stand in their way.
England’s stellar campaign on home soil has continued to build momentum for the women’s game in the host country, but Williamson insists this is not the peak.
Instead, while she outlined how the performance from her team has changed the overall perception of the sport, the Lionesses skipper suggests there is plenty more to come in the years ahead.
“I think what we’ve seen in the tournament already is this hasn’t just been a change for women’s football but society in general. How we’re looked upon,” she said in a news conference.
“Tomorrow is not the end of a journey but the start of one. Regardless of the result of that, there’ll be a nice moment for reflection.
“It’s my job to go out for 90 minutes and play to win, but when we look back, we’ve really started something. I want this to be a mark for the future, not looking back on what’s gone before.
“If I stick to my processes I’ve had as a footballer, it would be silly to look any further ahead than the 90 minutes. Tomorrow’s a day of opportunity.
“That’s the only thing that makes it different to any other game, that the stakes are that much higher. This is what we all live for, and this is why I play football.
“This has felt unachievable for a very long time, the people that have come before that have had to fight.
“I’ve only ever been involved in this work place, in football, but in most work places around the world, women have a few more battles to face and try to overcome.
“For every success we make and every change of judgement or perception or opening the eyes of somebody who [now] views women as somebody with the potential to be equal to her male counterpart…
“It’s a powerful message, that in a typically male-dominated environment these strides that we take forward can impact everybody on that wider scale.”
