Alessia Russo thinks for a moment and then has two words to describe how life has been since helping England win Euro 2022 with a 2-1 victory against Germany in the final at Wembley in July: “Pretty crazy!”
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Russo and teammates such as Ella Toone, Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly became household names during the tournament, which ended with England’s women winning their first trophy and delivering the nation’s first football success since the men’s World Cup triumph in 1966. Russo has had her boots placed alongside the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London to celebrate the Lionesses’ success and Sarina Wiegman’s squad have all been invited to Disneyland Paris as a reward for winning Euro 2022 and having such an impact on the sporting landscape. But this weekend, when the Women’s Super League (WSL) returns, it’s back to business and with it will come a measure of just how much the heroics of the summer have boosted the women’s game in England.
Russo’s Manchester United were due to play the opening game of the WSL season against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend, before the whole of English football was paused due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Arsenal have confirmed that their North London derby against Spurs on Sept. 24 will be played at the Emirates, with over 40,000 tickets already sold for the game to ensure a new record attendance for a WSL fixture.
The game is growing at a rapid pace — over 85,000 fans will watch England play world champions, United States, at Wembley on Oct. 7 — and Russo now wants to see the club game benefit from the effect of Euro 2022.
“The last few weeks have been pretty crazy,” Russo told ESPN. “The summer was a watershed moment for women’s football and there are now things that have definitely changed in our lives — we’re getting recognised a lot more and it comes as a part of the women’s game growing.
“It’s part of the job now and hopefully the game will grow even more. It’s exciting times. We hope to see the crowds get bigger and bigger, after the summer and with the talent on show, we hope that a lot more fans are interested enough to come out and support us at club level.
