The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 kicks off next week with England as the defending champions after victory at home in 2022.

The impact and legacy of that winning moment has been profound on girls in sport. Sport England have reported that since the Lionesses’ victory there have been:

519,000 new opportunities provided to engage women and girls in football
129,000 more girls playing football in schools
34,000 more women and girls playing football recreationally
10,300 more women and girls playing football at grassroots clubs
1,222 women and girls have taken the FA Playmaker coaching qualification
298 more FA-qualified female coaches in the female game
247 more FA-qualified female referees in the female game

We are proud that there is a huge passion for football amongst Abbey students. You can see the love of the sport from kickabouts at lunchtime to playing in school teams as well as external clubs. We have older students who coach younger ones and even qualified referees within our community.

So what are they looking forward to about the Women’s EURO 2025? Which players inspire them? This seems the perfect opportunity to celebrate some of our football enthusiasts and uncover their ‘ones to watch’ for the Euros.

Sofia in Upper V

Football is a huge part of Sofia in UV’s life and she’s certainly one to watch! An extremely talented player, she has been signed by Southampton FC and trains with them three times a week, plus matches. Next season training increases to four times a week, but even when she’s not at the club, Sofia “plays every day”. She can’t even remember when her passion for football began, “I’ve just always played and I just love it! When I’m playing it’s the most amazing feeling in the world.”

Sofia first joined a team “when I was five or six and the other players were all like eight or nine, so I was a lot younger, but the coach said ‘she’s good we’ll take her!’”. With her skill already shining through, and wanting to develop, Sofia went to play for a boys team when she was seven. “I was playing with them for about two years and then Reading FC scouts saw me and asked me to go to play for them”.

From eight until fifteen Sofia played for Reading FC, until sadly their women’s team broke down due to a lack of funding. They had to drop the women’s team by three tiers and could no longer be a Pro Game Academy – PGA. So, Sofia went for trials with Southampton and Chelsea and was successful at both. The choice came down to positions. While Chelsea wanted her to play center back, at Southampton she could play her preferred position of central attacking midfielder, “I played in the Under-16s this year and next year I’ll play for the Under-21s and possibly the first team as well”. How does she feel about playing for the Under-21’s aged just 16? “Good, it’s been my dream since I can remember and I am ready for it.”

Sofia reflects that until around age 12, she played just because she enjoyed it. It was around 13 or 14 that she realised that she could have the chance to “make it”, “so then you start working harder for it”.
What is her dream? “I don’t want to sound conceited but I’d love to be the best player in the world! I want to play football professionally as that’s always been my dream.” Her dream club to play for is Barcelona. With a Spanish mother and English father, Sofia says with a playful smile, that she would love to play internationally “for whoever chooses me first”.

Looking back on the Lionesses’ victory at the Women’s EUROs in ‘22, Sofia said, “obviously it’s made a big impact for the grassroots. The FA shares the sport more, and more people want to do it – I think it’s now one of the most popular girls sports. That means it’ll get better and better.”
However, as much as she feels that the difference between men and women’s football has improved at the top end, in the lower leagues there’s still a large contrast. The Lionesses also provide female role models for young girls, something which Sofia couldn’t find when she was younger, “all my life Neymar’s been my idol, I’ve never really had a woman’s Idol.”
Although she does admire Aitana Bonmatí from FC Barcelona, “she plays the same position as me and I love her play style, it’s very creative, fluid.”

Sofia laughed as she said that she is bracing for a “family feud” as she enjoys watching as many games as possible of the Women’s EUROs this summer. However, Sofia is striving to keep out of the Spain vs England rivalry, “I’m just excited to watch the players, that’s what I like to watch, I don’t really watch the teams”.

But who does she think will win? “Spain. I don’t really mind who wins, but Spain have played better. They have a different playing style. I think in England they drill into you that you have to play a certain way, and it shows in the men’s football as well, it’s a bit boring. But the way the Spanish team play is really creative and better, it’s amazing.” Sofia will be watching Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí and striker Claudia Pina for inspiration. As for the Lionesses, “I always enjoy watching Jess Park”.

Hopes for the future of women’s football? “Equality, to be honest. It’s been improving and hopefully, as long as the wages are the same and the fans are the same, that’s all that’s important.”

Maybe in the not too distant future, Abbey students will be listing Sofia Dix Trujello as their favourite women’s footballer player and the one to watch!

Rosa in Upper II

Rosa plays football for Thatcham Tornadoes under 10 Lionesses, The Abbey School under 10’s and she also plays for Reading FC! Her passion for the game began when one of her friends invited her along to training at Thatcham Tornadoes and “from the first moment I just loved it”. Rosa never looked back and during a summer football camp, run by Reading FC, she was approached by a coach to join the Reading FC girls team and Rosa was “obviously so happy. I’ve played a few tournaments with Reading and it’s just an amazing experience”.
A Manchester United and Lionesses fan, Rosa “just loves the game all together. When I’m playing I feel really excited, I really enjoy it and I feel some responsibility as well because I’m captain of my team. I just want to put my best foot forward and do my best.”

Rosa reflects that the Lionesses winning the last Women’s EUROs “made a huge impact. It was just amazing for these group of girls to win such a big tournament and they were incredible – it was just amazing to watch them!” But she still feels there is a way to go for female footballers, “I hope they get the same rights as men and they get paid the same as well, because I have noticed that there is a difference. I just hope it carries on to be this great success”.

There was no hesitation when asked if she’ll be watching the EUROs “ Yes definitely! I’m excited about everything I love football I just can’t wait!”.

Favourite player? Millie Bright, “I like that she had my number, number four, and she was Captain and a defender, all like me. She was just amazing in her job driving forward when she had the opportunity making great balls, occasionally scoring and she was such an inspiring player and just incredible.”

Who will win? “I obviously want the Lionesses to win so much and I do think they have a chance, although I did watch the match against Spain and that was a bit disappointing. I think they do stand a chance of winning but they’ll definitely have loads of competitors like Spain and France.”

Susie in Lower V

Susie from LV plays for Twyford Comets and The Abbey School Under-15s. Before joining Twyford at the start of the season, she had played for Wargrave for six years. It was her friends that got her into football, she joined them at training and, “it was really sociable and I found out that I love the sport and I love being part of a team.”

The joy that playing football brings Susie is clear, “I love the thrill of a fast-paced game. I’m a striker and I enjoy scoring goals for the team. It feels exciting when I play, I feel proud when we’re winning, and sometimes, it feels nice to bring your team back together and uplift them when we do score if everyone’s feeling a bit down.”

As well as the physical advantages of the game, Susie values wider benefits, “I think it’s a really good way to make friends and develop teamwork skills, but also just to relax. Obviously it releases endorphins too. I think it’s important not to just focus on academics but also have hobbies such as football and exercise to keep a good balance.”

What impact does she think that the Lionesses winning the Women’s EUROs ‘22 had? “It definitely inspired a lot of young girls. I think it made some girls see football as a sport for them too. I think when they won, obviously it was a lot more widespread on social media, teachers were talking about it at school and that showed young girls that it is possible and that you can follow your dreams.”

For Susie, it “definitely inspired me to keep going. I definitely still really enjoyed football, but I think it gave me that desire to keep pushing forwards, I don’t need to stop at any point – I can continue.”

Susie’s favourite player is Lucy Bronze because she also plays for Chelsea – who Susie supports – as well as England, “she’s a very strong player she’s been in the team quite a while which I think is quite inspiring.”

Looking ahead to this summer’s Women’s EUROs, Susie said, “it’s exciting to see how far the teams can go. I definitely think Spain are a strong team and it will be interesting to see how far they get – as well as England. Obviously I do want England to win, but I do think Spain and Germany are two very strong teams. She also sums up beautifully how uniting the competition can be, “it’s something you can talk about with friends, family, it brings together community and all people who love the same thing.”

Susie’s hope for the future of women’s football is equality, “I definitely hope at some point it will be equal to men’s. Obviously that’s hard and I think that’s going to take a while. I think that men’s football is still a major part of what people think about when they think about watching football. Women’s tickets are a lot cheaper and a lot more men’s games are broadcast, so I think it’s important for big companies to make a move as well. If broadcasting channels started showing a lot more women’s games, I think a lot more people would understand that women are just as good as men and they are still very interesting to watch.”

Lara in Upper II

Lara plays for Tilehurst Panthers,The Abbey under 10’s team and supports Manchester City. It was all thanks to her older cousin that she started training with the Panthers. After tagging along to watch her cousin train, Lara was left thinking “Wow! I want to do that!”. So, she joined the under 7’s and “I really enjoyed it” and she describes how she “feels free” when she’s playing and particularly likes tackling people!

Reflecting on the Women’s EUROs in ‘22, Lara says “I really liked it because they’re girls and they’re really, really good and it felt really inspiring for them to win. It made me think that’s one of the things I want to be when I grow up”.

Mille Bright is her favourite player, “I really like Millie because she wears my lucky number four, she can make amazing passes and she’s really strong as well. I love watching her and she’s just an important person.”

Hopes for the future of women’s football? “I feel like it’s important as we’re all girls. I don’t understand why men get paid more – girls and boys are both amazing at football. So I just hope that women can get paid more, be watched more and be more equal.”

Lara’s excited to watch this summer’s Women’s EUROs and watching it “ with my family and my cousins. I’m looking forward to the tackling, the skills, shooting, pushing and slide tackling!”. Who does she want to win? “England!”.

Millie in Lower VI

Millie plays for Wargrave, The Abbey Under-18s football team and supports Liverpool. Her love of the game started at primary school, “I used to play at lunch times a lot and I decided in Year 6 that I wanted to play for a club. So, I went to their training sessions, really enjoyed it and have played for Wargrave since then.”

Playing football helps Millie relax, “I enjoy being part of the team and that common goal of wanting to win a match. I’m playing with people that I’m friends with and I feel relaxed. When I’m playing football, I’m focusing on that and what’s happening in the game.”

What legacy does Millie think that the Lionesses winning the Women’s EUROs in 2022 made? “I think England reaching the final made a big impact on women’s football as I think it brought it a lot more attraction. A lot more people watch and are interested and across the UK everybody wants England to win and I think that’s a nice feeling about a tournament.”
“It’s a nice feeling to know that people are interested in the game and people do value it and see it progressing.”

However, she is clear that there is a way to go. “I think with men’s football everyone knows about it, everybody knows what’s going on and follows it. Even at club level, men’s football definitely gets far, far more notice whereas I think women’s club level still needs a lot of improvement when it comes to viewers and attendance – but I think at national level it’s definitely getting closer.”

Hopes for the future of women’s football? “I guess the main goal is that it will eventually have equal visibility, equal traction in terms of people watching and being interested and obviously equal opportunities for women in lower leagues.”

Millie’s favourite player is Georgia Stanway “because I think people often think about the likes of Russo or Mead and I feel Stanway is often under-appreciated.”

She’s looking forward to watching Georgia with friends and family, and soaking up the enjoyment of a big tournament, “that’s always a nice thing about international competitions, that people watch with friends and families and get together to watch the matches.”

And who will lift the trophy? “Obviously I want England to win, I think they do have a very good chance, but I think Spain definitely are a team to look out for and also Germany as well.”

Thea in Lower IV

Thea plays for Caversham Trents FC, as well as The Abbey under-13s team, and is a big Arsenal supporter.
A team sports fan, Thea enjoys football, “I think it’s a lot less pressure than other sports in a way because you’re playing in a team and you’re all trying to help each other out when you’re playing,” she said.
Thea even credits the game for building her confidence and helping her to relax “because you can just get away from your thoughts, school and everything – I just enjoy playing”

She is looking forward to watching the Women’s Euros, “it’s inspiring that we can look up to the women playing” and feels that women’s football “has a nice atmosphere, it’s better.”
Beth Mead is Thea’s favourite player, “I think she’s a very good technical player and she’s someone that you can learn skills from”.

Since 2022 Thea reflects that “people talk a lot more about women’s football and there’s a lot more attendance at games.”
In the future she hopes that there will be more “women’s football grounds that keep growing in attendance.” She also wants it to be “broadcast on more channels so that people can watch it.”
Thea’s advice to any girls inspired to want to play is “just try and enjoy it rather put pressure on yourself to win every match, because you’re not going to win every match – so just try to make the best out of every situation when you play.”

Who does she want to win the Women’s Euros? “England!”.

Emily in Upper II

Emily plays for The Abbey under 10’s team, supports Chelsea and clearly adores football. She found her passion thanks to being selected to take part in a girls football tournament when she got to try lots of positions for the first time. When she’s playing “I just feel like my head’s in the game, getting the ball is all that matters, being a good sportsman and hoping that we win all the games!”.

It’s clear how much the England Lionesses have inspired Emily, “I think football’s often seen as a sport for boys, but I think that it should be a sport for all genders and having the Lionesses go on to win something as big as the EUROs was really inspiring to young children, including myself, all around the world. It just shows that no matter what, no matter how hard training is, if you just put all that focus in training into the matches and then you’re a role model for young children. I think that football being seen as a sport for women is really important.”

Emily has two favourite players, “I like Millie Bright as well she’s really inspiring. The fact that she admitted that she wasn’t ready to compete in the squad for the EUROs this year is a really great thing. Some children wouldn’t admit that and the fact that she has will hopefully inspire younger children to say actually I’m not feeling 100%, I don’t think I should compete. My other favorite is Chloe Kelly. She’s really competitive. I like the way she takes her penalties because she kind of leaps, and then she runs and scores and every time I take apenalty shot, or I try to shoot, I always try and copy her strategies.”

In the future Emily wants to see more equality within the sport both on and off the pitch, “You can get judged on the gender of the football team you support and I support men and women’s football. I just hope that women’s football gets the same treatment as men”.

It’s fair to say that Emily is very excited about the Women’s EUROs “I will definitely be watching, I’m actually buzzing about it! Seeing the Lionesses going to the EUROs makes me think that one day that could be me, that could be me representing our nation!”

Who will win? “I personally want England to win but I have a feeling it’s going to be a tough competition between England and Spain. I think the Lionesses have been training harder than ever in order to win again. Even though they lost against Spain recently, it doesn’t mean they’ll lose again, it just means that they tried their best but Spain’s best was higher on that day. But that doesn’t matter because I think the girls have been training really hard and I think they’ll put all that training into their matches and not give up!”.

Charlotte in Lower IV

Charlotte plays for Wargrave Girls and Wycombe Wanderers, as well as The Abbey’s under-13s team. She loves team sports and how football has “a lot of tactics that you can understand, it’s never just one aspect that you need to improve… and it feels really good when you win!”

Playing football helps Charlotte mentally, as well as physically, as she explains, “I think it relieves some stress because after school, instead of just doing homework or revision, I can go to football and see all my friends and have fun”.

An Arsenal supporter who just loves watching football, Charlotte is looking forward to the Women’s Euros “because everybody starts talking about football more and I think watching the Euros makes people respect women’s football more.”
“I think it makes England come together and all support the same thing and it’s fun to watch as well,” Charlotte added.

Favourite player? “Ella Toone, because I think she’s quite direct and a good player”.

Charlotte saw the impact of the Lionesses’ victory in 2022, “I think it made a lot more people want to play football and lots of teams have got bigger squads now.”
So what about the future and the legacy of the Women’s Euros 2025? “I hope that it’s just equal with men’s football. A lot of women’s games have smaller stadiums and not as many people watching and with the men’s game there’s a lot more talk about it. So I hope women’s football is like that”.

Her advice to anyone interested in playing football is to “just join any local team because lots of teams would love more players and no one really minds if you’re not great, and it’s just really fun!”.

Who does she think will win the Women’s Euros? “I think England will win!”.

Annabelle in Lower VI

Annabelle plays for Wargrave, The Abbey Under-18s football team and is a Tottenham Hotspur fan. Football runs in the family, “My older sister’s always play football and my family have always been football fans, which inspired me to start playing. I played a bit when I was younger and people were playing the playground and I always found that really fun, so when I got a bit older I decided to join a team.”

The benefits of playing are clear to Annabelle, “I think it’s a very nice thing to do on a Saturday morning, to relax, get a run around, spend time with your team. You’re all working together and it can take your mind off other things that are going on – you are just tied to the match and it could be quite exciting and intense at times defending a goal or trying to win late on in the match, it’s quite fun in that respect.”

Annabelle believes that the Lionesses’ victory in 2022 “was really good for women’s football. It brought a lot of attention and I think that it was the first time I’d really noticed people actually taking notice of the women’s tournament and seem genuinely interested in it, a lot more than they had been in the past. The crowds that turned out just showed how much it had grown, which was really good to see.”

She also believes that it was a catalyst, reflecting that “if you see it you can be it – and it inspired a lot of girls up and down the country to start playing football. At that time it was the Lionesses making the country proud and that made girls up and down the country realise it’s something they can do, that it is for girls too – I could be that and I could play football and that’s an option for me.”

So what does she hope for the future of women’s football? “There’s been a lot of growth but there is still a big gap between the top women’s players and slightly lower down women’s players who can’t afford to just play and have to have other jobs. That’s obviously quite a problem and it would be nice to have the whole package with lower leagues where women can play in them as their only job. I think it starts with visibility and if the top level becomes more visible, hopefully that will trickle down.”

She also wants to see more equality in support around female players, “I’d like to see that a similar amount of research goes into the medical research for women, so they have better equipment and the staff around them are better equipped, which will make it more even to the men’s game. It would also improve the quality and keep going on the trajectory where people are actually becoming interested and wanting to go to the games.”

Annabelle’s favourite player comes with a great podcast recommendation, “I really like Ella Toone because she has a podcast with Alessia Russo and they’re both very funny. She’s just a very likable character and I think by starting her podcast, and making them relatable, she’s been able to draw attention to the women’s game through humour. I like her character and I think she’s a really good player as well.”

Annabelle is excited to watch the Lionesses take to the pitch in the women’s EUROs, “with international competitions there is the sense of everyone getting behind England, in quite patriotic in a way and I’m also excited to see how the team deals with a few players who have dropped out of the squad. It will be interesting to see what the starting eleven is, how that plays out and how they deal with it”.

Who will win? “I would love England to win, but, especially with players pulling out the squad, I think Spain probably have a good chance this year – but I’m still hoping for England!”

Emily in Upper VI

As well as being captain of The Abbey U18 Football team, our Head Girl plays for the Tilehurst Panthers. She is the current goalkeeper for the women’s first team who play in the Southern Region Women’s Football League Division One North. Emily was admitted to the U16s Oxford United Regional Talent Centre and has played at both county and regional level. Emily is a fantastic ambassador for football at school where she has helped to coach and officiate lower school teams.

It’s not just playing football that Emily loves, she is also driving more female representation in the sport through her passion for officiating. Since completing the FA referee course, she has gone on to officiate matches weekly. She was appointed the prestigious position of Assistant Referee for a Berkshire & Buckinghamshire FA County Girls Final and has officiated at five Berkshire County Girls Football League Cup Finals. Next season, Emily intends to register to officiate some Thames Valley Men’s Premier League matches, proudly paving the way for female referees.

Emily started playing aged 4, feeling inspired after watching football on the TV with her dad. Chatting with Emily, it’s clear that her father has had a huge influence on her and supports her as much as his beloved Southampton F.C. Emily has followed in the family tradition of supporting Southampton, her mum is a huge fan and her grandad even worked for them.

She wasn’t always in goal, and often used to play midfield, but goalkeeper is now where she thrives, “I really enjoy the thrill of the opportunity to stop a goal from happening, it’s fun chucking yourself in the way between the ball and the goal!”
“Even though there’s massive high pressure, and you feel so bad if you make a mistake, there’s such excitement.” Emily is a clear team player and describes being part of a team as “amazing”. “As goalkeeper I lead from the back, leading the defense, and I know that by doing that it installs confidence and creates a bond through communication.”

This leadership quality is also being put to inspiring use as a referee, which she believes is a great fit for her character. When faced with a broken hip in 2023, having to take a step back from playing for a while, this opened up the path to officiating.
Emily had seen an advert for a female-only referring course, signed up, and that was just the beginning. With more qualifications completed, she currently referees Under-18 matches, but is just about to start officiating women’s games.
It takes confidence to be a referee, so where does that strength of character come from? “I didn’t have confidence at primary school so I think that The Abbey helped to build that in me. It also comes from knowing the laws. If I believe that I’ve made the right decision, and can explain that decision, you can’t argue with that”.
“Yes you can get a bit of mouth from someone, but I’ve learnt skills how to manage the game and how to build up that rapport of players which keeps them on your side.” At one game – although the players were being respectful – Emily diplomatically describes how “the parents were making their presence and thoughts known.”
“In the moment it was stressful but that’s where you surround yourself by the support within the RA, they were all really supportive. When that was happening, some of the referee secretaries went over and talked to them. I’ve also had a match where a coach was yelling at me. I can deal with players, the harder bit is the parents and the coaches!” But that is where you can see Emily’s resilience kick in as she continues, “now that I’ve had that experience, I feel like it’s something I’d be able to deal with now”. This brilliant strength of character is already impacting others.

Emily takes huge satisfaction from being an ambassador, coaching and inspiring younger players, “I just love it! It’s so important because even if it inspires just one person, or helps them feel better about themselves, it could then give them different opportunities and I think that’s really important”. She also reflects on “what it’s done for me and myself mentally” and “builds you as a person”. Her face fills with pride as she recounts how she was told that a young player at her club decided to start officiating herself after seeing Emily do it.

Emily’s hope for the future of women’s football is for more equality, “what really annoys me is if you go on social media and there’s a video of women’s football, you’ll always see a comment comparing it to men’s football and I just wish that one day there’s not always a comparison. I know it’s improved so much, and I think that’s amazing, but I hate that it’s ‘women’s teams’ and then just the ‘team’. I hope that in the future that it’s more equal and younger girls can then feel more inspired to push for that.”

Favorite player? “Mary Earps. She’s a really big inspiration because of her general perseverance. She was dropped from the squad around 2019 and then worked really hard and got back in again. She pushed for women’s football, she’s really inspirational and my favourite player. It’s so sad that she’s retired!”.

Looking forward to the Euros? “Yes! I wish I could go in person. I’m looking forward to enjoying watching the Lionesses play because it’s a different feeling watching the Lionesses than the men’s team, you actually do feel like the Lionesses could go and win the competition! It’s inspirational that some of these players have been at the same level at which I’m playing and have worked their way through.

Which player will you be watching for inspiration? “I’m sad Mary’s no longer playing well as I would have said her, otherwise Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp. If they’re not injured and on the pitch at the same time – goals! To be honest I just love watching all of them!

Who is going to win? “Spain have been playing really well recently with the Nation’s League matches but England played really well against Portugal. They won 6-0 with five goals in the first half an hour, so they have a chance. I think England can do it and I want them to!”

Conclusion

It’s abundantly clear that passion for women’s football is to be found in abundance at The Abbey! Our students are an inspiration with their insights and hopes for the future of the game, and with ambassadors like them, you know it’s in safe hands.

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 runs from 2 to 27 July in Switzerland, with 15 other nations joining the hosts. It all kicks off at 1700 BST on Wednesday 2 July at Arena Thun, when Iceland play Finland. We have to wait until Saturday 5th for England’s first game against France.

Let’s hope that this tournament continues to inspire ongoing change and progress in women’s football, with more opportunities and passion than ever for girls in sport.