"We noticed so many people joining the bandwagon. Do you think you'll keep going? "
The Women's Super League 2022-23 season starts on a Saturday. Following England's most successful year in international football in its 56-year history, There is hope for the women's national league to take advantage of the momentum generated by this summer's Euros victory to allow for women's soccer to continue to expand.
BBC Sport spoke to England captain Leah Williamson and her Arsenal teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy on the Euros victory and the Lionesses' legacy, and the future of women's soccer.
"One of the most memorable moments in women's soccer.
What is the best way to sum up the moment when you led your team to the first major football trophy since 1966 in front of record-breaking 87,192 people on the pitch at Wembley as well as 17.4 million at home?
"I am not looking to minimize the things we've done. I'd like to reflect on the situation. It's the only reason I'm a footballer, to have moments like that," Williamson told BBC Sport.
Wubben-Moy defines it as "something that would hopefully live on for days, months, years."
"I realize I'm speaking not in the perspective of hindsight, but from the benefit of hindsight. I believe this will be one of the most significant moments of women's football to date. I'd like to see that quickly replaced by increasing and greater successes we've seen all through this season with the WSL. Also, we're hoping to win we will be able to compete in the World Cup as well," she added.
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We are aware of where we come from.'
The way the Euros won the hearts of the nation demonstrated the extent to which women's football has developed in the last five years.
Euro 2017 in the Netherlands attracted 240,055 spectators. This record was set during the groups for the tournament 2022 in England.
The main question is, how does that be translated to the WSL? One thing that definitely helps is its reputation and the belief of a lot of players, including Williamson, who believe it's the most successful women's soccer league in the world.
"If I were an enthusiast who wanted to be a part of a league it is the league I would choose around without a shadow doubt. I believe that in terms of talent as well as the players we have attracted We're doing extremely great," Williamson said.
"We would like the top players to join us for us in the league. I believe it's the most competitive league around the globe, and that's why I consider it the best league to follow.
"The product isn't exactly the same as the football played by men. There's no need for it to be identical in all aspects. "
This year brings added excitement for fans who will see their England teammates take on opponents in the league that Williamson claims "makes it a little bit tastier."
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"Investment in Europe can be 10x more than here.'
In addition to the domestic league, Arsenal is also preparing for a Champions League campaign to think about and, with it, the chance of playing against the likes of Barcelona and Lyon, which are widely considered to be the two most successful teams around the globe.
The week before, Barcelona established the record for women's transfers with a price of PS400,000 set by Manchester City's England midfielder Keira Walsh. Williamson stated: "The talent across the world is amazing.
"Other leagues may not be as great or similar to ours, but they are as consistent with the top teams, but our best teams are the best.
"We certainly still have some way to take. I'd like to think clubs in the United States have invested, yet the rate that they invest in Europe can be ten times greater than the level here.
"I believe that the gap is the result of investment. There is a lack of investment for quite a while, perhaps. and the level of player. The level of players on these teams is amazing," she added.
After the Euros victory, There was some concern from those who wanted to keep the game's authenticity for women while appealing to brand new large viewers.
"Trust us," Williamson declares, "I think a lot of us who have played in an organization for a long time have known the fans intimately and aren't going to let them go. We know where we come from. We're planning to keep the game real and accessible as we can. "
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In addition to selling tickets and bringing more people into WSL games, Wubben Moy says women's sport needs to be treated more seriously in terms of economics.
"It's about increasing the number of companies that are taking part in the long term and not just for the shorter run. This is where we'll see an enormous increase in investment and a massive increase of enthusiasm," the actress said to BBC Sport.
"We witnessed a lot of people joining the bandwagon. Do you plan to stay in the game? Do you plan to join us on this ride? Because it's an absolute trip. "
Profiting from the moment that is affecting all young girls'
After the discussion about informing the next generation was addressed after the discussions, the Lionesses sought to initiate conversations about accessibility to the sport.
Three days following the Euros final, the Lionesses composed an open letter addressed to the two Conservative Party leadership candidates at the moment, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, that was signed by the entire members of the team, asking the prime minister of the future to provide all girls across the country the chance to follow their example.
"We ask you to make it a priority to invest into girls' football in schools, so that every girl has the choice," the letter reads.
It was the Wubben-Moy who came up with the idea to write the note while driving to the team's Trafalgar Square victory celebration.
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"We had just been dancing on the on the stage in front of the National Gallery with thousands of people and I was like, 'we need to do something'" she added.
"The origin of this letter doesn't begin with me. It begins with every girl who played once or could not play. We all had obstacles in playing football as children. Every player on the team I was in was challenged by something. "
Wubben-Moy says that after having awed children during the Euros, she believed they should capitalize on this moment.
"If they later attend school but aren't able to play football, where's that passion going? For me, it was like we had to create a system that would allow children of all ages to to attend school and play football and begin your journey towards achieving that goal. "
The captain of her team and Arsenal teammate agreed that action was crucial to the team.
"We put our names in the history books. However, off the pitch, we're looking to leave the legacy. There's a place for us to be, but If we don't make use of it, we've wasted a chance. There are things that require to be changed around the world.
"We have a responsibility to ourselves that we're aware growing the game. I'm not sure if it's going to ever stop. I'm not sure if it will ever reach a stage where we think, 'OK, we're good enough and can simply relax and enjoy the game. We're always looking for more, and we're always looking for to be better for the girls who are following our team," the coach said.
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"Women were not allowed to vote until the time men did, the ban on football ended in the year 1971. football for men was in full swing. We're always left behind everywhere else. I think that the society is changing. This is why we talk about it as a societal change. "
