«Lioness Effect»: The number of women's football teams has doubled

England captain Leah Williamson has inspired a new generation of footballers. Photo: Pat Elmont/Getty Images

The number of registered women and the number of women's football teams in England has doubled in the last seven years.

There are now 12,150 registered women's teams in 31 English counties and the Channel Islands compared from 5,632 in the same regions in the 2016–17 season. , according to new figures released by the BBC.

A further 15 counties did not provide data, but every county that did report an increase in participation in women's and women's football. The largest proportional increases were found in Jersey, Surrey and Sussex.

The most significant changes were found during the season immediately after the English Lionesses won the European title at Wembley in 2022, when almost 1500 new teams. .