The Lionesses Legacy - Women's Football after the World Cup

  • July 17th, 2015
  • Camilla Chapman

England recently saw success at the World Cup, with the women's side beating Germany to return home with the bronze medal. After capturing the nation by becoming the most successful senior England side in the World Cup finals since 1966 and seeing their world ranking rise to 5th, the Lionesses are now keen to carry on their legacy with their club football. But how will the World Cup success have an impact on women's football?

Throughout the tournament, the ladies received support on an unprecedented scale, receiving the backing of a nation with their performances. They made history along the way, being the first women's team to reach a World Cup semi final, before then finishing off with a third place finish. The players have now returned to their clubs, with the Women's Super League now centre stage and the Lionesses's legacy is already proving to have a positive effect.

In the first round of fixtures since the return of their World Cup heroes, WSL 1 attendances have rocketed upwards- according to BBC Sport, the average attendance 78% higher than the average for the first half of the season. New club records were set around the country, including the 2,061 fans that watched Manchester City Ladies beat Birmingham City at home. The Women's FA Cup Final will be played at Wembley Stadium for the first time ever this August, with over 10,000 tickets already having been sold to watch Chelsea against Notts County and that number is surely set to rise.

Television coverage is also improving, with BT Sport regularly showing FAWSL matches and the BBC covered every World Cup match during the tournament. England's semi-final loss peaked at around 2.4m viewers in the UK, with the total audience for the whole of England's tournament more than double the figures than the 2013 European Championships.

The FA are also focusing on more funding for grass-roots football, looking for inspiration from England's success and encouraging more young female players to start playing. When their four-year sponsorship deal was agreed with energy company SSE, a commitment was made to "invest in the women's game with significant funding to create a country-wide programme of girls-only football." This deal was the first time in the history of women's football that there's a major sponsorship for the FA Cup, and extra funding for the game will help develop grass-roots football further.

The question now, however, is how will the legacy created by the England side be sustained for the future of women's football? That's where you come in! If you've been inspired by the Lionesses, you can watch the players and other talented international players week in, week out in Women's Super League action. Simply go to the FAWSL website for more information on all of the teams. It's also affordable to catch your heroes in action; the FA Cup Final costs only £15 for adults and £5 for children, a great way to have a top day out and see some fine football. Most FAWSL sides also only charge around £5 for adults each match and £3 for children!

If you fancy giving football a go, then why not contact your local club! Football is one of the most popular sports for females in the UK, with hundreds of clubs who are often in need of new players. If you're a coach in football, or even just starting out, at Sportplan we can give you a helping hand with our over 500+ drills and our highly-rated session plans. You can also create your own content with our coaching tools, such as creating your own session, as well as being able to share ideas and gain advice from fellow coaches and players. Upgrade to full access to start improving your coaching and to save you time!

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Take a look at this helpful BBC Sport article, highlighting the key stats and areas of the World Cup legacy left by England.