Essex clubs expect 'football fever' as Women's Euros kick off
They say interest in the sport has increased
Last updated 6th Jul 2022
Local women's football teams are expecting an increased interest in the sport as the women's Euros kick off tonight, with games taking place across the country.
England will embark on their campaign to win the tournament with a match against Austria held at Old Trafford, in Manchester.
Emma Burden is the women’s and girls’ technical lead at the Essex County Football Association.
She says there's a growing desire from the public to watch women's football: "There is a real interest in women's sport at the moment - you just have to look at the TV to see that.
"There's still a way to go and there's always more room for growth, but I think the Euros will lead to even more interest."
Emma says lots has changed since she first got involved in the game: "There's been fantastic investment.
"We've also got lots more media coverage - the fact that games are on Sky and the BBC, and are just much more readily available is great.
"I remember when I used to play, it was so hard to get the results on a Monday from the Women's League. There was a tiny, little results feature in The Times and you'd have to scour the paper to find it - now it's much more accessible and immediate."
As well as more interest in those watching the sport, there's also more people wanting to play, particularly young girls who are looking for hobbies: "The growth has been on a steady upwards climb, particularly in the mini soccer age groups - we're talking the under sevens, eights, nines and tens - there's been real growth from those ages.
"We've seen about 75% growth since last year alone and now have 95 teams for girls in that age range in Essex."
Emma suggests this is because more parents are becoming aware of the opportunities available to their daughters: "Women's football is a lot glossier now, and if you're a parent, before it wouldn't have been visible so you wouldn't have even known it was an option to look at."
The Essex County Football Association is hoping to capitalise on the interest in women's football and get even more young women involved, through investment into the sport across the county: "We've got grassroots leagues which are now developing opportunities for girls to play more locally. We wanted to create local opportunities to play the sport so parents and young kids don't need to drive ridiculous distances to play.
"It's about making those opportunities really accessible, so it's not a huge commitment. We're just mirroring the opportunities the boys have always had."
Click here for your ultimate guide to England at the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.