By John Essien
The England Women National Team have written an open letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, following their Euro 2022 triumph on Sunday, asking the prospective Prime Ministers to ensure football is accessible for girls in school.
The Lionesses caused incredible scenes inside the national stadium after Chloe Kelly’s winning goal edged Germany as England won her first major piece of silverware in football since the World Cup in 1966.
However, there is already worries about the legacy that Euro 2022 will leave, after the government failed to guarantee girls can play football in PE lessons.
Taking to social media on Wednesday 3rd August, the newly crowned European champions shared a letter, which read: “Dear Rishi and Liz Truss,
“On Sunday evening history was made. The dreams of 23 women came true, England became European champions for the first time in history.
“Throughout the Euros, we as a team spoke about our legacy and goal to inspire a nation. Many will think that this has already been achieved, but we see this as only the beginning. We are looking to the future. We want to create a real change in this country and we are asking you, if you were to become Prime Minister on 5 September, to help us achieve that change.
“We see this as only the beginning.”
“We want every young girl in the nation to be able to play football at school.
“Currently only 63% of girls can play football in PE lessons. The reality is we are inspiring young girls to play football, only for many to end up going to school and not being able to play.
“This is something that we all experienced growing up. We were often stopped from playing. So we made our own teams, we travelled across the country and despite the odds, we just kept playing football.
“Women’s football has come a long way. But it still has a long way to go,” the letter added.
