BBC Radio Stoke
More teams. More leagues. More fun.
Grass roots women footballers in Staffordshire said there have been such massive changes for their amateur game following the success of the England side in Euro 2022.
The Lionesses went into Euro 2025 as reigning champions and were finalists at World Cup 2023.
In Staffordshire, Laura Phillips is among the many who have seen changes as she plays for the currently undefeated champions of Staffordshire Women Division One, Stoke Town Ladies FC.
“When I was younger, I was playing for lads teams,” remembers Ms Phillips, “Now we’ve got leagues and leagues of 10 teams apart.
“It just shows the interest is building from what they’re [the Lionesses] are doing and how well they’re doing.”
Ms Phillips has witnessed the amateur game transform in recent years but can remember a time when it was a struggle simply to arrange a match.
“Even in your local league, you were expected to travel two hours for an away game,” she recalled.
“There wasn’t enough teams to have a local league.”
Now she and her teammates enjoy healthy competition from nearby teams and look forward to playing in the Staffordshire Premier League next season.
Georgia Fletcher plays alongside her, having joined the team after the Lionesses Euros success after not playing since her schooldays.
“When we were younger, women’s football wasn’t really a thing. We’ve had to fight for it,” she said.
“The Lionesses have done so well and now it’s allowed a new generation of girls to be like them.”
Growing interest
Through her voluntary work, Ms Phillips said she had seen a burning enthusiasm from girls to play the sport in the city.
“You can just see that there are more girls filtering into football,” she added.
“There are some clubs that have got an U12s, U14s, U16s, U18s and an open age girl’s football team.”
Her teammates are also pleased to see an improving attitude towards women playing from men, citing their coach and chairman as two strong examples.
“We don’t throw it in anybody’s faces,” said teammate Lydia Burgess.
“You support us or you don’t but there’s no reason why not to, at the end of the day.”
