UK Edition
My elation at Wembley on Sunday was indescribable but I woke up on Monday morning with one very clear question weighing on my mind: "What do we want the legacy to look like for the next five years?"
This England team and their amazing manager have captured the hearts of the nation and they have delivered on all fronts but here's what I believe are the next steps for the game to keep pushing on.
It should start with the handover of the Women's Super League, which should be taken out of the hands of the FA and handed over to a commercial operation with experience of growing the sport in both broadcasting terms and the product around it. This has to be an absolute priority.
You have to thank the FA, the league and the clubs, who all deserve huge credit for contributing hugely towards what happened on Sunday. So many people have played a significant part in producing England teams and the league the FA set up has, no question, been a gamechanger.
But the future of the WSL should be one where it's not run by the FA. I know that they’re looking at independent bodies but I do really hope that the Premier League is still part of that conversation, because the experience and nous of the Premier League, or a body like it, could be the difference-maker in the direction of the women’s game. We have to get that right.
There’s already significant investment at national team level but beyond that it’s about really sorting out the academy setting, which needs to replicate the boys' side in terms of how it’s funded, reported and how people are contracted.
I hope that the next 12 months are focused on planning for what should be an expansion of the WSL from 12 to 14 teams and moves towards playing in stadia with a minimum capacity of 10,000. Going forward, every club should be looking at playing in stadia more than double that size and perhaps even playing all their games at their men’s stadiums.
Then there's the crucial matter of what happens at grass roots level. I completely support Ian Wright’s comments on the BBC after England's semi-final win over Sweden around the need to create more access to football for girls in PE at primary schools and secondary schools, and that our girls are being afforded the same opportunities as boys. That is not the case at the moment, and it needs to change, because that amazing win on Sunday will mean so much for the confidence of all those girls in the playground.
This sport also now must address the huge disparity in prize money across the board. I know the FA has recently raised the Women's FA Cup prize money but it’s still not equal to the men’s – why isn’t the FA Cup prize money equal? There’s no rationale for it. With more prize money there is a greater remuneration for everybody involved in the game, and that would be deserving.
That’s something which requires government intervention, because the trickle-down effect is so impactful for the smaller clubs. It's the same with the Champions League prize money, which needs to be far greater than it is considering the amount of money that there is within our sport, as well as the World Cup and the Euros, and player bonuses. It should be equal.
The questions have to be asked of all the authorities, and we need to push harder for those answers.
As for growing everything else, the important thing is, there was already a strong foundation before the Euros, so the Lionesses winning their first major title isn’t Ground Zero on this journey - there are strong foundations in place.
Now it’s down to the Government, through legislation, to deliver equal access and equal opportunities across the country in PE, in particular for girls, and to seek investment from corporations and partners and sponsors that see the ambition and growth of the game.
It’s about increasing the number of female coaches on the ground, so that there’s more visibility and more opportunity for everyone in the food chain.
And we have to grow our league crowds and get more bums on seats in the WSL when it starts again in September. At Chelsea, we're beginning our title defence at Stamford Bridge against West Ham on Sunday, Sept 11, and lots of other WSL clubs are going to be playing at their men's team's larger grounds too.
And my message to everyone out there is come and watch these amazing players, these stars you fell in love with during the Euros, because you can access them every week at a very affordable price.
It’s a game that’s free of violence, a crowd that’s so inclusive, and that’s what was so amazing about Sunday – how warm, kind, generous and caring everyone at Wembley really was. It was remarkable.
These Euros were undoubtedly the best women’s tournament to date, because the product keeps getting better every time. And with the fans, it was just a wonderful celebration of sport and the coming together of many nationalities, without the threat of violence. When I compare last year’s men's final with this one, it had a completely different feel to it, yet also I have never in my life heard Wembley like that before. The noise was unreal.
It sounds spectacular – an extra-time win over eight-time champions Germany in front of 87,192 fans in the stands and a peak TV audience of 17.4m people. But in truth that was not the beginning or an end to anything – it was a continuation of what has already been put in motion, and which now has the opportunity to fast forward at a much quicker speed.
How we should revolutionise the women's game and ensure our golden legacy is not wasted
These Euros were undoubtedly the best women’s tournament to date and we cannot let slip this chance to grow the sport