Will Red Roses have their Lionesses moment?

I was stepping my canine precocious adjacent immoderate section shot pitches and I could perceive girls playing a match. When I first moved present 12 years agone that surely wasn't nan case.

In a comparatively short play of time, that alteration has come. Those young girls guidelines connected nan shoulders of truthful galore unthinkable women who fought for nan correct to play football.

I person worked for nan BBC since 2007 and it has had a monolithic effect successful increasing women's athletics complete nan past 20 years.

In 2019, I felt we had a game-changing summer.

A batch of women's athletics was connected nan BBC, including nan Fifa Women's World Cup. More than 11 cardinal group watched England v USA successful nan semi-final, which was a grounds astatine nan clip - until Euro 2022 that is. That was a immense assemblage and it felt for illustration a large displacement successful group recognising nan stars of that tournament.

Fast guardant to 2022 and it was erstwhile I was heading to Wembley to coming nan Euro last betwixt England and Germany, I had this infinitesimal of realisation of really immense it would beryllium if nan Lionesses could triumph a awesome tournament.

I cognize that seems ridiculous arsenic that is what nan purpose ever is. But having covered men's and women's tournaments for a agelong time, it had ne'er happened and it really felt arsenic though nan Lionesses were connected nan precipice of thing massive.

So I opened my laptop and started bashing retired immoderate words I hoped I mightiness beryllium capable to present astatine nan extremity of nan programme, depending connected whether aliases not England had won. If they hadn't, I'd conscionable unopen nan laptop and I'd ne'er spot those words again.

Luckily, Chloe Kelly made judge I could opportunity them: "Is this a game-changing moment? Well, nan grounds audiences connected TV and crowds successful nan stadiums person been fantastic, brilliant. But to really move nan athletics on, we request you. If you've enjoyed it, get yourself on to a WSL [Women's Super League] crippled this season, moreover if you only spell to 1 aliases two.

"The Lionesses person brought shot home. Now it's down to nan remainder of america to make judge it stays here. You deliberation it's each over? It's only conscionable begun."

They came from a spot of wanting group to really galvanise nan tone and really put into action a batch of nan words we'd been talking about.

The BBC has ever realised nan worth successful women's sport. Not conscionable because it's important to spot women playing sport, but because societally it's really important young girls person entree to sport.

And this summertime we're pushing nan schedule a spot further.

We've sewage unrecorded sum of nan Women's Euros, which will characteristic Wales for nan first clip astatine a women's awesome tourney alongside defending champions England, nan Women's Rugby World Cup and nan World Athletics Championships. This is alongside Wimbledon, The Hundred and Queen's, wherever women will play for nan first clip successful much than 50 years.

The Women's Rugby World Cup taking spot successful England is, I hope, going to beryllium pivotal for that sport.

With nan Red Roses being nan squad successful nan world that everyone wants to catch, it's awesome to person a location tourney because you past get to create stars.

You only request to look astatine nan measurement they person joyousness astir their performances, nan measurement successful which they link pinch their fans - and I deliberation it's going to beryllium really absorbing to spot really nan state embraces them.

Obviously, nan dream is we will spot packed stadiums, enjoying nan matches.

They person looked astatine nan Lionesses and person seen what happened there, and they cognize for them this is their large moment.

The Lionesses are already family names but this summer, much names will beryllium made.