In this blog post, Sports Tourism Media co-editor Mike Starling looks back on a glorious day out at Wembley Stadium for the Uefa Women’s Euro final between England and Germany…
Just before she scored her winning goal, England hero Chloe Kelly looked towards us in the stands and urged the fans to roar the Lionesses on for the last minutes of the Uefa Women’s Euro final.
There was 110 minutes on the clock and seconds later Lauren Hemp swung in a corner which, after a goalmouth scramble, found Kelly who toe poked the ball home from close range. It may have been scrappy, but like Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick strike in 1966 and Gazza’s stunner against Scotland in 1996, Kelly’s Wembley goal is one that will go down in English football folklore.
The forward’s now-iconic “taking-her-shirt-off-and-swinging-it-around-her-head” celebration will also be replayed for years to come. The moments after the winning goal, she went bezerk, the squad went berserk and so did we the fans, well, the majority of the 87,192 did. The attendance was the highest ever for a Euro final – men’s or women’s – and it just summed up the tournament as a whole. A game-changer for women’s sport.
Going back to the celebration, honestly, there was a minute there where the world stopped before the pandemonium kicked in. Little kids, big kids, girls, boys, teens, adults… everyone going absolutely crazy. It’s a moment that I’ll never forget as a sports fan.
An incredible day
Having had the privilege to report on events as a sports journalist, and also watch events or games as a fan, I’ve seen a fair few wild celebrations in a live sporting arena. But the moment Kelly scored, even more so than the final whistle, was probably as good an atmosphere in a stadium I’ve ever experienced. In fact, the atmosphere during the whole day was incredible.
Invited as a guest of Wembley Park, the neighbourhood around the stadium, I arrived at the steps of the underground station and looked down Olympic Way towards the famous arch. What a sight, what a setting. Getting to Wembley at 1pm (BST), around four hours before kick-off, I was surprised by how many fans had made the same early trek to soak up the atmosphere. The trains were packed, with the majority wearing shirts with Three Lions on, as were the bars, restaurants and shops.
Friendly vibes
One thing I did notice throughout the whole day was the general friendly vibe between the fans (a lot different to last year’s men’s final). Obviously, the huge number of families and kids attending the women’s final made the difference. There’s no doubt many were nervous – which is natural for a final of this magnitude – but everyone was there for a great time. And what a great time the England fans had.
The defeat was tough on Germany, I thought they had played really well. But for England and us success-starved supporters the victory at Wembley will be remembered for generations to come. With so many families there enjoying watching live sport, and in particular girls and women, that’s surely the biggest result of all?
Will I ever see this kind of atmosphere at a sporting event again? I hope so. But if not, I’ll always be thankful for sharing the moment with the Lionesses and Co. In the legendary words of Neil Diamond, “good times never seemed so good”. It really was so good, so good, so good!
Images: © Mike Starling