Why the Lionesses' Win Is Bigger Than Football

A historic triumph etched in the hearts of a nation. England’s Lionesses lift the UEFA Women’s EURO trophy, a moment of pride, resilience, and inspiration for generations to come

When the Lionesses win, it’s never just about football. It’s about visibility, hope, and the belief that girls of every background belong anywhere ambition can take them.

I still remember being told as a child that football wasn’t for girls. It wasn’t mean-spirited. It was just ‘how things were.’ Football was a boys’ game. There was no pathway for someone like me, a British Bangladeshi girl growing up with few sporting role models who looked or lived like I did. That lack of representation quietly, but powerfully, limits what young people believe is possible. I know, I eventually had to give up football.

That’s why the Lionesses matter.

When girls see women lifting trophies, leading teams, owning the spotlight, it shifts something. Not just in their heads, but in their hearts. These moments challenge old narratives and open new ones. But celebration alone won’t sustain this shift. We need continued, committed investment in women’s and girls’ sport. The investment needs to be in schools, in clubs, and in community spaces.

It’s not just about football. It’s about ensuring all sports are open to all, regardless of gender, race, class, or background. We must build systems where young girls, especially those from marginalised communities can access quality training, facilities, coaches, and belief. Where ambition doesn’t have to fight so hard just to get a chance.

At You Be You, we work every day to build spaces where identity and opportunity are celebrated together. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Schools already have ring-fenced funding to support inclusive sports programmes. The challenge now is integrating sport meaningfully into the rhythm of the everyday school day beyond the designated two hours.

We need to explore how creativity can empower educators to weave sport and play across the curriculum. How can we support teachers with the time, space, and inspiration to design cross-curricular, engaging lessons that make physical activity part of learning, not separate from it?

This could come through targeted teacher training: developing confidence in creative approaches, reimagining the role of sport, and linking movement with academic subjects in fresh and playful ways.

Sport shouldn’t be an afterthought. It’s a vital part of how we build confidence, promote wellbeing, and foster a sense of belonging.

Community clubs need access to safe, affordable spaces so they can truly open their doors to girls from all backgrounds.

It’s heartbreaking to witness more local youth clubs and sports centres lose funding, even in our own neighbourhoods. These spaces aren’t just venues, they’re vital lifelines.

Young people need places where they can move, play, belong, places they can call their own.

We must protect and invest in these spaces, not just for sport, but for the sense of safety, identity, and possibility they provide.

I’ve seen this need firsthand while speaking with young people in Lambeth, especially Leah, a passionate Youth Council member and founder of Beyond You, a campaign dedicated to breaking down the barriers to fitness for young people in the borough.

Leah’s research paints a stark picture:

89.7% of young people say that cost stops them from going to the gym, and among those living in deprivation, 35% get just 30 minutes of activity a day, far below recommended levels. That’s why her campaign Beyond You is pushing for practical, meaningful change campaigning for:

·       Cheaper youth gym memberships

·       Youth-friendly fitness classes

·       Extended gym hours to suit young people’s routines

As Leah puts it:

“My goal is to create opportunities for young people and ensure our voices shape the future of our community.”

This matters because around 30% of pupils in Greater London attend schools with less than 10 m² of open space per pupil, falling short of the Department for Education’s recommended minimum. With shrinking access to open spaces and rising barriers to participation, grassroots initiatives like Beyond You show us what leadership, data, and lived experience can achieve if we choose to listen and act.

Access to sport and fitness isn’t a privilege, it’s a right. And it's time our systems reflected that.

Policy makers should invest more in grassroots women's sport with the same seriousness given to elite programmes, because the pipeline starts in playgrounds, not in stadiums.

And teacher training must actively challenge outdated stereotypes about who sport is 'for,' ensuring educators feel confident to support and champion girls equally across all sports. This could be through unconscious bias training. We see the impact when young people feel seen and supported. Sport has the same power it builds leadership, resilience, and joy.

And the gap starts early. In one London primary school we partnered with, we interviewed 56 Year 3 pupils. When asked who football was for, a whopping 67% said it was for boys. But what stood out even more was what followed: the girls shared that they were only allowed to play with the old, deflated purple ball, while the boys got to use the new, shinier one.

This might seem like a small playground detail, but it reflects something much bigger: who children are taught sport is 'for.' It reinforces the idea that sport is something girls must fit into, rather than something already built with them in mind. Of course, this isn't every school, or every child but it is a real example of the quiet, daily messages that shape how children see themselves and their right to take up space.

The Lionesses inspire us. But now it’s time to go further.

We also need to think bigger, beyond curriculum timetables and sports day trophies. We need to ask: who designs the playground? Who decides whose bodies belong in motion? What if children were invited to shape the sporting spaces they move in not just be fitted into systems built without them in mind?

Imagine a school where girls have as much access to the pitch as boys during breaktime. Of course, this isn’t every school across the UK, but we know from first-hand experience that there are still some schools where girls still aren’t getting the access they need to play. Where local community coaches are matched with schools not by chance, but by a coordinated effort to ensure that no girl’s ambition is limited by her postcode. Imagine if teacher training challenged outdated assumptions about sport and built confidence to lead inclusive sessions that embrace all genders, backgrounds, and abilities.

Inclusion in sport isn't just about participation, it's about power. About building systems where girls from all backgrounds can co-create the rules of the game. Not just ask to play it.

We need more national campaigns that celebrate young girls, especially those focussed on under 11’s as athletes, leaders, and dreamers. Campaigns like This Girl Can have shown us how powerful visibility can be. How it can challenge stereotypes, boost participation, and normalise sport as a space for every woman and girl. But the question is: how do we make that message trickle down into every playground, every PE lesson, every local sports club?

We need to localise that energy. Imagine if every borough worked with its schools and community groups to bring This Girl Can to life at a grassroots level embedding the spirit of the campaign into everyday decision-making, language, and access. Imagine community sports days led by girls, school posters showing diverse athletes, and partnerships that ensure no child is left on the sidelines.

Campaigns can spark belief, but systems must follow through. Because sport isn't something girls need to be invited into it’s something they already belong in.

Because the earlier we widen the pitch, the more future Lionesses we’ll see. Let’s not just cheer from the sidelines. Let’s fund it. Let’s protect it. Let’s make space so that every girl, everywhere, can dream bigger and play harder.