Euro 2022 has been a huge success for England – both on and off the pitch.
The Lionesses captivated the nation with a swashbuckling run that ended with an extra-time victory over Germany in the final of a tournament which has attracted record crowds, carnival atmospheres and unprecedented media coverage for the sport.
Women’s football has already enjoyed a dramatic increase in popularity and publicity in recent years, but what impact will this tournament have?
In the build-up to Sunday’s final, we asked for your opinions.
Larry Dickens, from Shropshire, is among those who never had any interest in women’s football before this summer’s Euros.
“To be honest, I was in danger of misogyny. OK that’s extreme, but you see, it is a man’s game,” he quips.
“I never bothered with women’s football before, now I am hooked. It has been a breath of fresh air – tough, resilient and honest, superb footballers with excellent skills.”
He says previously he wasn’t sure he could support two teams, but now sees he can follow the men’s and women’s teams for the same club.
“I haven’t noticed much change in male friends as yet, but my wife likes the footy too now. Our team is Newcastle, howay the lasses!”
He is not the only recent male convert.
Tim Williamson, a 67-year-old Arsenal fan from north London, said that he first got into watching football in 1966, when he, along with the rest of the country, was gripped by England’s World Cup-winning journey, and now the same is happening for him and the women’s team.
“I never took women’s football seriously until the Euros competition.”
The Lionesses’ quarter-final with Spain was the first time he had watched a women’s game in full. “To my wife’s anger I found myself screaming and swearing at the set just like I do when Arsenal are playing,” he says.