Despite World Cup loss, England’s showing a boost to women’s soccer across Britain

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Val Plumb kept cheering, clapping and hoping right up until the final whistle on Sunday, then she bowed her head in resignation.

Plumb had come to the town square in King’s Lynn, early Sunday morning decked out in her Lioness T-shirt, convinced England would triumph over Spain in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia. In a prime spot near a giant television screen, she sat on the edge of her seat as hundreds of other fans from the small city in eastern England crowded into the square.

It wasn’t to be. England lost 1-0 and the nation’s agony on soccer’s biggest stage continued.

England has only won the World Cup once, in 1966, and excitement had been building for days that the women’s side would finally reclaim the trophy. The team’s performance was sluggish early in the tournament but impressive victories in the quarter and semi-finals restored hope in England heading into Sunday’s match.

While England had plenty of chances – Lauren Hemp hit the crossbar and goaltender Mary Earps saved a penalty – they were outplayed for much of the game and a goal by Spain’s Olga Carmona in the first half proved to be just enough.

Despite the loss, the team’s success has been a huge boost to women’s soccer across Britain, which has been gaining traction in recent years. England won the women’s European championship last year and reached the semi-finals in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.

“The women will win it before the men,” said Plumb, 58, who lives outside King’s Lynn. “The women have got the passion.”

Plumb wanted to play soccer as a kid but there were hardly any girls’ teams in her area. Now there are several youth leagues and the number of women playing soccer has soared. “I wish it was like this when I was younger,” she said.

Simi Taiwo said England’s run in Australia has already proved to be a godsend for his soccer coaching academy in London. “It’s been amazing,” said Taiwo. “Every time I put on a girls’ only session we get an influx of girls. Now they’ve got heroes. They’ve got someone to look at that looks like them and that they can aspire to be like. Five years ago, that was so hard for them.”

The lead up to the final was not without controversy. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Prince William faced criticism for not travelling to Australia to watch the final, even though the Prince is president of the Football Association, or FA, the governing body of soccer in England. The criticism intensified after Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter flew to Sydney for the game.

“I will not have any bad words against the royal family. However, this should have been pencilled in his diary,” former England goalkeeper Pauline Cope said before the match. “Let’s be honest, if it was the men’s World Cup, they would all be here.”

Prince William issued a statement on Sunday to offer his support for the team. “Although it’s the result none of us wanted, Lionesses you have done yourselves and this nation proud,” he said.

Sunak said the players had “left absolutely nothing” on the field. “It wasn’t to be, but you’ve already secured your legacy as game changers,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We are all incredibly proud of you.”

There will be questions, as well, about the future of England manager Sarina Wiegman, who has solidified her position as one of the best coaches in the world. She guided the Dutch team to the World Cup final in 2019 and there has been speculation that she could be poached by the U.S. women’s team after coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned last week.

The FA’s chief executive officer, Mark Bullingham, has insisted that the association would do all it could to keep Wiegman, who earns around ￡400,000 ($690,000) – roughly one-tenth of what the FA pays men’s national coach Gareth Southgate. “We’re huge supporters of her and hopefully she feels the same way,” Bullingham said last week. “So she’s someone we’d like to have with us for a very long time.”

Wiegman has said that she has no plans to leave. “I have a contract until 2025,” she said last week. “I’m really enjoying my job and I have the impression that people still like me doing the job.”

After Sunday’s game, she said Spain played “a little bit better than us today. We showed how we want to play as a team and we can feel very proud of ourselves. Although it doesn’t feel that way right now.”

Katie Dallaway was among the many England fans who weren’t downhearted by the loss. “They definitely made history,” she said. The women’s game “wasn’t so big many years ago. Now it’s just a massive thing. It’s brilliant to see,” she said.

Her friend, Rose Skeels, wiped away tears as the game ended: “I have got a granddaughter who plays. I can see her going all the way.”