This is the brutal bargain of high-end sport: it offers one pedestal and one precipice. And in front of 87,192 delirious fans at Wembley stadium, they beat Germany 2-1 to become champions of Europe for the first time.
But, of course, it had to mean more than this. And as captain Leah Williamson hoisted the trophy aloft in her rainbow armband, in front of a record crowd and a peak TV audience of more than 17 million - the most-watched TV event of the year - it felt like the end of one journey and the beginning of another. The first, an undying struggle for resources and respect, for parity and a platform, is finally complete. The second is a journey with no maps, no driver and no end in sight.
For more than 150 years football has been an intrinsic part of the nation's culture and lifestyle, a form of identity, a unit of social currency. And yet, for most of that time, women have been excluded from this club and its perks.
The last time England's men lifted a major trophy, the 1966 World Cup, women were banned from playing competitive football in any form. Now, English football - all of it, not just half - has ascended to the very top step of the podium.
This story is from the August 05, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the August 05, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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