Zeno Thinks: The Lionesses reign again – but is their success papering over wider cracks in the women’s game?
The England women’s football team is amazing. Hannah Hampton’s four penalty saves, Lucy Bronze battling on with a fractured leg (her middle name is literally ‘Tough’) and the ice in Chloe Kelly’s veins helping secure a second successive European Championship trophy. Arguably, they’re the greatest English sports team of all time.
Dame-to-be Sarina Wiegman deserves much of the credit. The Lionesses’ unflappable manager could teach many execs a lesson on handling hostile media. After losing their first group game, she kept faith and maintained her record of reaching the final of every major competition she’s managed. No man or woman has ever done that – she’s in a league of her own.
Brilliance on the pitch aside, the Lionesses are also winning the PR game. Captain Leah Williamson is just as recognisable lifting yet another trophy as she is on Calvin Klein billboards.
Even the PR own goals haven’t stopped momentum – well, except maybe in Wales. Tesco’s ‘meet the Lionesses’ Lucozade stand in Cardiff, weeks before England and Wales faced off in the Euros, now feels like ancient history.
The nation has fallen in love with this team and the wider impact is clear. In four years, the number of women and girls playing football has jumped 56%. While the FA’s Inspiring Positive Change strategy (2020–24) helped, the real catalyst was the Lionesses’ 2022 Euros win.
On face value, club football is also on the rise. I’m one of thousands renewing Arsenal Women season tickets to watch the European champions play every Women’s Super League (WSL) home game at the Emirates – four seasons ago, they played there just twice.
But we can’t get too carried away. Attendances at recent Liverpool and Tottenham men’s trophy parades overwhelmingly outnumbered the Lionesses celebrations this week. A new Women’s Sport Trust report has also found broadcast audiences for the latest WSL season dropped 35% year on year. Despite more teams playing in historically men’s-only stadiums, WSL crowds fell 10% to an average of 6,661.
2024/25 was the first post-pandemic season that the Lionesses had a summer off after Euro 2022 and the 2023 World Cup, so a dip was to be expected, and we can’t stay this good forever (can we??). But a 35% drop in viewers is still a big number…
There’s an uncomfortable parallel with the men’s game in rugby and cricket – adored national teams but many clubs in financial trouble with match attendances dwindling.
So, how can better PR ensure the game continues to grow at grass roots level and is not dependent on surges of popularity between major tournaments?
- Scrap Lioness-dependent strategies: After Euro 2022, many teams’ marketing plans centred on English internationals. But every WSL team has a squad of untapped personalities – Jimmy Bullard was never capped for England, but he’s still one of the game’s biggest characters.
- Inspire club loyalty: Fans have always looked down on those who follow teams for individual, successful players, seeing them as glory-hunters. Women’s teams need to delve into their history, their communities and champion their fans – of all genders – to create the kind of deep, passionate support that goes beyond players
- Share the love and investment: Google and Adidas have snapped up James and Kelly, but over half of WSL players lack brand deals. Fellow Lioness Ella Toone’s Amicizia Studios is helping women athletes find commercial success – brands take note
- Win fans on socials: Arsenal and Chelsea will get more TV money, but smart, low-cost social campaigns can boost engagement for smaller clubs. Appetite is there: WSL TikTok views rose 154% last year – the second-most viewed domestic league in England
- Men’s game must step up: Let’s see more clubs take a two teams, one club ethos – following in Everton’s footsteps, whose women’s team now have the iconic Goodison Park stadium as their permanent home
- The “Lioness” conundrum: Biologists refer to “female lions”, not lionesses. The game’s current language still implies that men’s football is the default and women’s a secondary variation. England are the winners of the UEFA Women’s European Football Championship, but last summer, Spain won the UEFA European Football Championship – not the men’s championship
The Lionesses have lit the spark – the game now needs the right support, smart storytelling and investment to ensure momentum doesn’t stall once (if) the trophies stop rolling in.
