In a few days’ time the Euro 2013 tournament will get under way in Sweden and hopefully England can do better than their male counterparts in the recent U21 and U20 tournaments that have brought so much criticism of the youth football system in this country.
Women’s football received a major boost after the success of the Olympic tournament last year, with Team GB performing above expectations by beating Brazil in the group stage. The women’s Super League, which began in 2011, is set to change into the new two-tier system next year, with the aim of attracting a larger audience and making the game more professional. With so much being done in this country to raise the profile of the game, what can we hope to see during the next few weeks?
Germany are the pre-tournament favourites and have won seven out of the 10 championships held so far. They beat England in the 2009 final and will be looking to once again claim the crown that has so often been theirs.
England meanwhile lost their last warm up match for the competition to Sweden by a score of 4-1. Despite the disappointing defeat, it is only their first in eleven matches and Hope Powell is confident that the girls can give a good account of themselves once they start their campaign on the 12 July against Spain.
Sweden are actually fancied to do well, particularly with home advantage and the support of their fans at every game. France are also in with a chance, as most of their players are from Lyon, who were Champions League runners up.
If you are keen to see whether England can finally win a football trophy then you should keep an eye out for some important matches coming up very soon. I will definitely keep my fingers crossed!