Sales at stadiums and sycophantic politicians: women's football has become mainstream and will remain

Rishi Sunak shows off his football skills at his local club. Credit: Twitter/Rishi Sunak

This was not the final that any England fan wanted. at the Women's World Cup, but the pain of losing to Spain could turn into joy. After last year's blissful European Championship, this tournament has transcended a troubled time zone and further raised the profile of women's football.

Here are five sure signs that women's football has gone mainstream.

Long before the start of this World Cup, we were told that Australia and New Zealand were further on the path to gender equality in sport. No country is atypical for giving men's teams a significantly higher status than women's, but this World Cup has shown that the sport is more than capable of attracting a comparable number of players to stadiums.

Nearly two million people watched the tournament in person, adding to last year's record for a women's game at Camp Nou: 91,600 watched Barcelona beat Wolfsburg 5-1. For those who have been and have a comparable experience of the men's game, there was a new spectacle of rival fans sitting together without getting into a fight. Few who watch the women's match in person are disgusted.

England fans at the Australia Cup final peace among women. Photo: Getty Images/Maja Hitij Mary Earpsgate

Uniforms have been a battleground for women's football for some time. Looking back at former England manager Hope Powell's playing days, it's absurd to see the best players of the era swallowed up in billowing men's shirts.

Fortunately, women are now being issued uniforms to match, often tailored. designs, but not all of them are available for purchase. There has been a lot of anger over the lack of a retail version of Mary Earps' goalie kit, a story that would not exist without real demand from the paying public.

Good luck finding a solution in Nike's latest response to this question: «We hear and understand the desire to have a retail version of the goalie jersey and we are working on solutions for future tournaments in partnership with FIFA and the federations.» When sportswear giants start posting sentimental claims, you know your sport has made great strides.

View the Numbers

Streaming app downloads have skyrocketed along with the biggest games. Two billion watched the tournament around the world, according to Gianni Infantino, and when has he ever let us down? In Australia, the semi-final defeat to England was the biggest TV audience since the introduction of the measurement system in the country.

A sad day for fans of the wedding of Scott and Charlene, but a happier one for women's football.

p> England will create a tourist club Lionesses after success at the World Cup Politicians intervene

It is an immutable rule of modern politics that any important event must be celebrated by our elected representatives so that they do not look out of touch with reality. Few were able to resist the temptation of the winning side, but not all of them successfully boarded.

Rishi Sunak tried to speak in football after the final, saying: “You left absolutely nothing there @‌Lionesses. ” To be fair, it wasn't the best performance against Spain, but to suggest that England put in so little effort that they didn't leave any marks on the pitch seems harsh.

Better off in surprise postmodernist Ed Davey, widely ridiculed for his high-profile semi-final photo. The Liberal Democrat leader posted the same photo on Sunday, with a neatly photoshopped England jersey.

Very happy to start! HERE WE GO https://t.co/hbWeHEcrUd https://t.co/6FBLcGSOvn

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) August 20, 2023 Anecdotal evidence

As the team deepens into the tournament, England did in Auszealand, and you can expect a lot of vague talk of capturing the public imagination or even the WHO's concern about football fever outbreaks. Such sentiments can be difficult to measure.

What seems to be a universal experience of this tournament is a clear increase in the number and types of people participating in the women's games. WhatsApp groups that a decade ago would not have thought to look at the Lionesses were filled with opinions, reactions and whining about big matches.

England jerseys were everywhere on their game days. Families canceled swimming lessons to watch the final together. In other words, exactly what you would expect from any other major sporting event.