"Girl Power Returns: Women's Sports Shine with Rugby World Cup Victory and Consecutive Euro Titles!"

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Women in Sport
• A Brief History
• Recent Successes
• Other Sports
• Conclusion

GIRLS are loud and making us proud!

Alright, let's set aside nostalgia for the 1990s ‘Girl Power’ era, as times have certainly evolved.

The Red Roses triumphed in the Rugby World Cup The Lionesses achieved back-to-back victories in the Euros

The Red Roses flourished last weekend as the women's rugby team clinched the World Cup in front of a record crowd of 82,000 at Twickenham.

This victory followed closely on the heels of our Lionesses’ consecutive European Championship titles, demonstrating that women's sports are here to stay.

If we look back two or three decades, the mention of women in sports was often viewed negatively. Just examine the history books.

In 1921, there were over 150 women’s clubs playing in front of crowds exceeding 40,000.

What was the response? They banned it, claiming it was “unsuitable for females.”

It took nearly five decades for the FA to reverse their decision, and growth in the women's game during the 70s and 80s was sluggish.

In fact, the national team had to wait until 1998 to have its first full-time coach, Hope Powell.

The 2012 London Olympics provided a significant boost to the women’s game. Team GB drew over 70,000 fans in their match against Brazil, finally freeing women's football.

Last year, an FA study revealed a 56 percent increase in the number of women and girls playing football over the previous four years.

The number of registered female football clubs has more than doubled in the last seven years, and just look at the attendance in the Women's Super League (WSL).

Seven seasons ago, the highest attendance at any game was 2,648 for a match against Manchester City. Last season, it reached nearly 57,000 for the North London derby.

A new sponsorship agreement with Barclays is valued at £15 million annually, and WSL clubs' revenues surged by 34 percent in the 2023-24 season alone. Thus, from grassroots to the professional level, women's football is on the rise.

Fortunately, this kind of progress is being mirrored in other sports, not just rugby, where there has been a remarkable 60 percent increase in registered players since 2017.

What about cricket? Our girls faced a tough match against the Australians, but the World Cup is approaching with England aiming for a fifth title.

Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson are stars of the track

In other sports, women continue to impress us. From netball’s Jade Clarke to star athletes and world champion boxer Lauren Price, the list of achievements is extensive and highlights how women are thriving.

That said, I was astonished to learn that middle-distance runner Georgia Hunter Bell was still working full-time in tech sales just a few months before winning a bronze medal at last year’s Paris Olympics.

I can hardly envision a male elite athlete doing the same.

Georgia earned silver at the World Championships last month, and hopefully transitioning to a full-time athlete will help her achieve even more in the future.

I am aware of the ongoing lack of female representation in leadership roles within football and other sports, but I hope that is gradually changing.

Both the FA and Premier League chairs are women—Debbie Hewitt and Alison Brittain—and they are doing an excellent job.

For now, I prefer to focus on the remarkable progress made in a relatively short period.

The WSL is thriving and will continue to grow, highlighting the fact that we, as a nation, are at the forefront of both men's and women's games.

We should celebrate this because ‘girls just want to have fun’.