Territory marked: Looking back at an incredible year for women’s football

From heartbreak to heroes, FA Cups to landmark caps and everything in between - a look back at the strides the women’s game has made.

Heading into last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, women’s football in England was sitting on a great foundation.  The Women’s Super League (WSL) had been sustainably growing since its inception in 2010, average attendances were steadily rising and a number of key clubs were shifting their programmes full-time.  At grassroots, the FA’s investment in women’s football was starting to pay off as it became the number one team sport.  Off the pitch too, a ground-breaking multi-million pound deal for the Women’s FA Cup naming rights was announced with SSE, while women’s football got the feel-good factor as EA Sport’s welcomed women’s national teams to FIFA for the first time.  But arguably, it was still a sport that existed largely outside of mainstream media and the public’s attention.  Until 12 months ago.

At last summer's World Cup, following a dramatic escape from the group stages, England’s Lionesses began to roar, convincingly beating host’s Canada in the quarter-final.  Although England’s semi-final against Japan saw injury-time heartbreak for the team, it left a play-off match against the Germans for the European bragging rights. These were secured as Fara Williams converted an extra-time spot-kick, winning the Lionesses an unprecedented bronze medal that would cement their place in history and in the hearts of a nation.

Despite the after-hours kick-off times, the BBC reported that 12.6 million viewers had tuned into their tournament coverage. The Lionesses exploits had been plastered across the front and backs of newspapers, and girls and boys alike were discussing the kicks, flicks and wonder strikes of the women’s national team. The squad soon found themselves with invitations to Wimbledon and an appointment with the Prime Minister at No.10 Downing Street - everyone wanted to show their support for the team and congratulate their accomplishments.  This wasn’t just a game changer; it would prove to be life-changing for the Lionesses and marked the start of a huge surge in interest and excitement for the women’s game.

Reaping the effects of the World Cup were top-flight WSL fixtures. Compared to matches prior to the tournament, attendance was up by an average of 47% on the previous round, with teams regularly having over 1,000 fans watching.  The newfound profile of the players was highlighted after matches, as growing groups of fans old and new would wait patiently to share a selfie or brief exchange with their idols.  Furthermore, for the first time in history, 30,000 screaming fans welcomed the 2015 SSE Women's FA Cup Final to the home of football - Wembley Stadium, with a further 1.99 million viewers tuning in at home.  The event and its success signified a change in perception and attitude for women’s football and, with an ever-growing fan base, this was the perfect opportunity to place club teams on the map and into the media spotlight. 

Bristol City WFC vs. Manchester City Women (2015)

Recognition and award nights became the norm over the following months, with the Lionesses taking home BT Sport’s Action Woman of the Year award for 2015. Yet perhaps the most significant of all occurred in November last year. Following her “absolute belter” of a goal at the World Cup, Lucy Bronze made it onto the 12-person shortlist for BBC’s prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award, alongside the likes of Andy Murray and Jessica Ennis-Hill. This was the first time a female footballer had been nominated in the award’s 62-year history.  Despite Bronze seeing her nomination as more of a “representation of how the team had performed” in Canada, this well-earned individual recognition was a welcome statement for the women’s game – they were now competing alongside some of the national treasures of British sport.

The start of 2016 picked up exactly where the successes of 2015 had left off. Following her SPOTY nomination, Bronze was announced as the latest ambassador for Sainsbury’s Active Kids campaign, one of many of the Lionesses who found themselves with new commercial backing. With Captain Steph Houghton also featuring in a new female-focused Virgin Media advert, it appears that big brands are now realising the potential of the game’s personalities to reach new audiences.  At the same time, the media presence of women’s footballers has also continued to rise, the latest example being Eni Aluko joining ITV’s Euro 2016 punditry team.  With over 100 international caps to her name, Aluko is a shining example of an experienced player expanding their profile off the pitch.

On the pitch too, the girls have continued to achieve great things.  In March, Fara Williams became the first-ever English footballer - male or female to reach 150 caps, during the invitational She Believes Cup in the USA.  Later that month, the England team achieved their highest-ever FIFA’s World Ranking, climbing to fourth.  And the girls are not showing any signs of slowing down - a series of authoritative victories has secured them qualification to the Euro 2017 with two games remaining.  With over 30 players already involved in the campaign, including promising debutants such as Rachel Daly and Danielle Carter, the campaign has also highlighted the bright future ahead for the Lionesses.

So what’s next on this incredible journey?  With fresh investment at all levels of the pyramid to drive greater participation and grow the talent pool, increasing media exposure and a growing and passionate fan base, the next 12 months of this journey will surely continue to amaze.  Following the Lionesses’ World Cup bronze medal, FIFA ranking, and early qualification, a top three finish at Euro 2017 is now almost expected from Mark Sampson's side.  Pressure perhaps, but whatever the next year throws at these players, the barriers they have broken and the success already achieved prove they are a force to be reckoned with.

Co-written with Ashley Brown, founder of Soccerella

Victoria Pendleton: The saddle switch

From three time Olympic medallist to novice jockey, the road from bike track to horse-back for Victoria Pendleton has not been as simple as a switch of saddle. On Friday, Pendleton rode in the amateur jockey race of the season - Cheltenham's Foxhunter Chase, less than a year after she first mounted a horse.  Her story has been full of debate and controversy and this week the media has fixated on the Cheltenham race festival. Questions over whether she should be competing due to 'health and safety' reasons, to questions about her celebrity status over-shadowing the meeting have captured the eyes of the horse-racing world and beyond. Yet on Friday at 4:10pm the question that everyone was waiting for an answer to was "can she do it?".

Pendleton is no novice to racing, it is just what she is racing on that differs. Cycling since a young age, Pendleton rose to sporting fame in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics where she won Olympic sprint gold. Come London 2012 Olympics, Pendleton was the one to beat on the track and was given the nickname 'Queen Victoria' due to her victorious efforts at the Lee Valley Velopark. She came away with Olympic silver and gold medals, always knowing this would be where she retired from her cycling career. Her enjoyment had plummeted and she spoke afterwards about cleansing herself of everything related to her cycling career. She was determined to look forwards, not back. So when Betfair approached her asking if she wanted to become a licensed amateur jockey, it was an offer she was never going to turn down.

Very few people have the drive and determination to become a successful Olympian. Early morning training, travel to and from competition and a lifestyle that centres around being physically and psychologically fit. Yet with this mindset and athleticism, Pendleton was an example of the perfect person to take on the gruelling training and courage needed to be a jockey. The ultimate goal 12 months ago was for Pendleton to race at Cheltenham. Some regarded this as highly ambitious and very unlikely from someone so new to the sport. Yet in the lead up to the Cheltenham festival, as Pendleton started to become more prominent in races it was clear this original aim would be achieved. 

As the Cheltenham festival approached, headlines were unsurprisingly focused on Pendleton. Much of the media, public, people both in and outside of the horse racing world believed that she wasn't ready to take on the challenge. Jump jockeys can take over 10 years to reach where Pendleton had in one, an unbelievable achievement that some thought was only possible due to her celebrity status. That said, Pendleton had proved herself a worthy rider, winning her first race a month before at Wincanton with the favourite that day; Pacha du Polder. A good race to finish on ahead of Cheltenham.

Cheltenham, for most people, was not a case of whether Pendleton on Pacha du Polder could win, more a case of seeing how well she rode and where she could finish in this large field of more experienced riders. As Pendleton took to the ring, the swarms of paparazzi gathered around her. I, as I'm sure many others did, found myself anxiously wondering if this was all going to go horribly wrong. According to Channel 4 there were 90 extra TV crews there that day. Yes, it was Gold Cup day, the race of the meeting, however the lenses were all pointing towards one woman. There was a buzz of excitement on the Friday leading up to her race. Bookies took this opportunity to tap into the Pendleton market. Not only could punters bet on Pacha du Polder at a starting price of 16/1, many offered odds for whether she would even complete the course and where exactly in the field she would position. AP McCoy had no doubt she would finish the race, winning on the other hand was a whole other story. 

The 23 riders set off on the 3 mile 2 furlong race. Pendleton rode tentatively at the back of the field for the majority of the race, out of trouble but certainly not out of mind of the punters and paparazzi. As horses started to fall and pull up around her, Pendleton soon found herself tracking the favourite, a tactical move that may well have been pre-decided. With one fence left to jump there was an overwhelming sense of relief that she was still in the race and what's more, in a position she may look back on as 'I could have won that'.

Pendleton finished a remarkable 5th out of a field of 23 horses with some of the best amateur jockeys in the world riding them. She looked like she couldn't believe she had done it and been that close to placing. That in itself was an almighty win for Pendleton. In her interviews after she explained it as one of the "greatest achievements of her life", saying  to everyone how much she enjoys racing and how there isn't a better feeling than riding a horse. Her cycling career seem a lifetime ago, a past she has openly boxed away, despite her outstanding successes. However, with the limited time she is likely to have left as a jump jockey and her drive to want to succeed, as long as she stays in once piece this could be tremendous tale of guts, luck and determination. She is certainly not one to write off for the future.

Pendleton has silenced some of the critics for sure, whether she is accepted into the racing world as any other amateur jockey around would be is yet to be seen. However, you can be sure that Pendleton more than anyone else would like the tabloids to be turned onto her racing achievements, rather than questions over why she is there and whether she should be racing.

Opinions differ, controversy will remain, however there is no debate that what Pendleton has achieved in this last year is a phenomenal display of sporting excellence, and this certainly should be celebrated.