Lionesses' patriotism fires ‘Proper England' bid for glory

Telegraph

27-07-2025

To borrow from Winston Churchill, has ever a sporting nation owed as much to so few women as we do to our Lionesses?
Three successive major tournaments and three finals reached. Some older players have come and gone, but there is a core group that has played in all of them. This is an unparalleled era of success for one of our nation's football teams. They have made what once seemed impossible feel routine.
When the Football Association began to invest heavily in women's football just over a decade ago, they could never have imagined England would enjoy a period like this. It is the performance of a football superpower, even if Mark Bullingham, the FA's risk-averse politician, is uncomfortable with such a phrase.
We have grown so accustomed to these achievements that reaching a final is no longer a novelty but more an expectation, yet we should not become blasé about what it means as England prepare to face Spain in Basel this Sunday.
We should celebrate everything they stand for, encourage the joy they take from representing their country and the unashamed pride they attach to wearing the national shirt. They lean into the idea of 'Proper England'; they wear and talk about their patriotism with ease.
'It's just a feeling of pride, every single time I pull the England shirt,' said Ella Toone. 'It's just pride. It was something I dreamed about since I was a little girl, I always wanted to play for England and go to major tournaments.
'Representing your country is something very special. I still have to pinch myself. It is an amazing feeling. I've got 50-odd caps now, but every time I feel the same way I did when I pulled it on for the first time.
'When you pull the England shirt on you want to make the country proud. You want to fight for each other and the fans. Every time we pull it on we have this sense of freedom and belief. It never changes.'
If you asked any other member of the 23-player squad, they would say the same. This is not a shirt that weighs heavily on any of their shoulders, it is a shirt that makes them stick their chests out.
'I will give anything and everything when I play in an England shirt,' said the squad's oldest and most decorated player Lucy Bronze. 'I want all the girls to know that is my why... My why is to give everything for this team because I just love playing for England.'
She has been doing it for more than a decade. Shoulders back, chin up, battle after battle, game after game.
When you watch the England players belting out the national anthem before games, arms linked, it is clear patriotism is part of what fuels them.
Our pack of Lionesses, our team of warriors who never know they are beaten. A team who could have surrendered at least twice at this European Championship, but who, somehow, against the odds fought their way to victory.
England were seconds away from defeat in both the quarter-final against Sweden and the semi-final against Italy, but from the jaws of elimination, they snatched the most magnificent of triumphs. They refused to accept their fate, because to do so would not be England.
Chloe Kelly's winning goal for the Lionesses against Italy as you've never seen it before! 🤩 #WEuro2025 #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/9LBFwPdn5A
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 23, 2025
This is England. Our England. Heroic, brave and resilient. They embody everything we want our sporting teams to project to the world. The indomitable English, tough and hard. No cause is ever lost, no challenge too great.
It is a phrase England's players have adopted this summer – they want to live up to the idea of 'Proper England'; of being a team who scrap and fight, who are physical, fast and direct.
Bronze explained that the concept comes from previous generations earlier in the tournament: 'What was meant by that was we have a lot of younger players and new players who have very different experiences of playing for England compared to the likes of myself, where we know England used to have to dig deep all the time – 2015 was the first time we beat Germany, that's insane to think of right now.
'England of the past, it was that you had to dig out performances and it was that you were maybe the underdog, not the favourites. Whereas this England team has developed, football has changed. We're a very talented team, a lot of technical ability, tactics, all that comes with it, but we don't want to ever forget that we are England, we are proper England and, if push comes to shove, we can win a game by any means possible.'
Absolute euphoria! 😮
Lucy Bronze buries her penalty and Smilla Holmberg cannot hit the target - sending England through to the semi-finals! #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/zXqD6IhIMz
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
The FA once coined a phrase 'England's DNA'; the Lionesses, more than any other of our national sides, embody it. Indeed, it is this pride in the country that, perhaps, is the key to their success. To play for England is the ultimate goal for every young female footballer in the country. There is no greater honour, or greater achievement.
When the dream is realised, nothing matters more than living it for as long as possible. Twenty-four players have made more than 100 appearances for England women's team compared to just eight for the men. It is the pinnacle and it shows.
Not since 2015 have our women's team been knocked out of a Euros or World Cup before the semi-finals. It is a decade fuelled largely by the love these players have for their team-mates and their country.
This is a multicultural England team evidenced by the fact their two most exciting young players are Chelsea's Lauren James and Arsenal's Michelle Agyemang. They see themselves as English because they are. Their patriotism is colour blind, even if, sadly, some continue to refuse to accept it.
ENGLAND ARE LEVEL IN THE 96TH MINUTE!
MICHELLE AGYEMANG HAS DONE IT AGAIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zToCOrbtVQ
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 22, 2025
When their team-mate, Jess Carter, another of the team's black players, received horrible racist abuse on social media during the Euros, the team rallied behind her, they pulled together because the centre-back was one of them.
Unified and dignified. A team led by a Dutch coach who has fallen in love with England too; a team which combines talent with hard work, spirit, bravery and a stubborn, defiant streak that makes them incredibly hard to beat and impossible not to like.
They represent the best of us. They are unflinchingly and unwaveringly proud to wear the England shirt. Whatever happens against Spain on Sunday night, we should be proud of them.