LONDON – Again and again, these Lionesses deliver moments their predecessors could hardly have imagined. The two-time European champions clinched their title on foreign soil – a first for any senior England national team – and perhaps they could have been forgiven for underestimating the scale of love and support back home. But now, there can be no illusions: football had truly come home again, and 65,000 people were waiting on The Mall to greet it.
Fans had traveled from every corner of England, from Northumberland to Cornwall, arriving with barely 36 hours` notice. The sheer volume of attendees was all the more remarkable given that Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not grant the public the celebratory bank holiday he had so vocally championed when England previously lifted trophies under different circumstances.
This team captivated the attention of millions. Their semi-final victory over Italy became the most-watched program on the nation`s second-largest broadcaster. The final garnered 16 million viewers in the UK, a third more than their triumph on home soil three years prior. Now, just a fraction of those who had cheered them on – still enough to fill almost every club ground in England – came out to celebrate one of the country`s greatest footballing achievements.
Gathered at the foot of Trafalgar Square in two open-top red buses, the players had ample time to process the profound depth of affection felt for them. It seemed like an overwhelming task.
“I`ve been crying all the way down The Mall,” confessed captain Leah Williamson. “This is unbelievable, probably one of the best things we`ve ever been a part of.”
The enormous crowd continued to swell after the players made their way to a stage in front of the Queen Victoria Memorial, near Buckingham Palace. Thousands thronged along Pall Mall and Piccadilly, while tourists, who usually have free rein in these areas during summer, looked on in bewilderment. Perhaps they had been expecting a different kind of England fan.
Certainly, this bore no resemblance to the (sometimes inaccurate) stereotype of an England men`s team fan. Paying tribute to the champions was a family affair; along the route, young children were seen wearing England shirts with the names Williamson, Chloe Kelly, and Alessia Russo, alongside quite a few Arsenal and Chelsea jerseys. “I saw older people, younger people, people from every different walk of life,” said Niamh Charles. “They were just so happy to be there, and it was so lovely to be able to share this with them. It`s for them, so it was truly special to see people`s faces.”
Most striking of all was the St. George`s Cross, an often charged symbol in recent English history, draped over the shoulders of fans old and young without a hint of the contention that seems to follow it everywhere else. Since Euro 2020, any England team has often become grist for the mills of culture wars. But not this time. Debates about the merits of women`s football have largely been confined to the lunatic fringes of social media. Kelly`s winning goal against Germany three years ago acted as powerful rocket fuel for the popularity of the women`s game, which now packs out Emirates Stadium, Stamford Bridge, and Wembley. Meanwhile, at the grassroots level, priority access to football pitches for women and girls is set to more than double, as announced by the government after hosting Wiegman`s side at Downing Street on Monday.
However, there`s more to this than just what the England team has achieved for the sport. This is a story about the bond between a team and those they represent. Since the summer of 2022, the English public has gotten to know Sarina Wiegman`s team far better, and, frankly, they truly, truly love them.
Chloe Kelly swears on live TV because how else can you describe the experience but “so f***ing special”? Surely everyone desires a friendship dynamic like that of Russo and Ella Toone? This team simply seems like an awful lot of fun, a group that particularly represents young England, as deeply steeped in meme culture as they are in the neuroses of football`s homeland, embodying in their triumph the spirit of “Brenda from Bristol”: “You`re joking, not another one?”
Over three weeks in Switzerland, England garnered a host of new admirers not only for the fact that they won, but for the manner in which they did so. Trailing by two goals in the quarter-final, they refused to concede defeat. When waves of Spanish pressure bore down on them, they held firm. A tournament that seemingly began in disaster concluded with a triumph the Lionesses never doubted.
Their triumph, as Williamson put it, was “hard-earned.” Now, their supporters were determined to shower them with the adoration they deserved. Wiegman certainly didn`t seem to be complaining when Burna Boy took to the stage to serenade her, and a 55-year-old former phys ed teacher breaking out dance moves to “For My Hand” is surely destined for the national meme library.
The celebrations continued well past the supposed closing time, but England`s thoughts were already turning to what comes next. “Thank you so much for being with us, for staying with us,” said Williamson. “This is not done yet.” If you found these scenes special, imagine what it will be like if England returns from Brazil two years from now with the biggest trophy of them all.
