The football world underestimated Chloe Kelly. In January, the snappy 27-year-old winger was dropped from the Lionesses, having been sidelined by Manchester City. But after finishing her season on an auspicious loan to Arsenal, Kelly found herself back in the Lionesses squad: the outcome of England’s Euros campaign would likely have ended quite differently without her. Stepping up to the box as the final Lioness in the edgy penalty shoot-out against Spain, with her signature gazelle-like run up, Kelly netted her shot: England are European champions once again. In an interview following her victory, Kelly told the BBC: “I’m so grateful to wear the badge… I’m so proud to be English”.
This is a rare statement. Englishness and all that it represents has, for a long time, become polarised: associated with thuggery, violence and in some instances, racism. In 2014, when Emily Thornberry, then a shadow cabinet minister under Ed Miliband, posted a photo on Twitter of a house adorned with Saint George’s flags with the caption “Image from #Rochester”, she lost her job.
Ten years on, and the popularity of the Lionesses – and Kelly’s own public pride in her own national identity – has shifted something. The team and their successive victories have made way for a new, softer form of Englishness. Women’s football games are often frequented by young children and their parents (both boys and girls), who find the whole atmosphere of the game more fulfilling and less frightening. Fans support shirts with “Bronze”, “Russo” or “Williamson” emblazoned across their shoulders. The Lionesses have used their influence to call for equal access to football in schools for young girls and, as many women’s players are openly gay or bisexual, the team has ushered in a new, more inclusive space where England fans can embrace their identity without fear of aggression or judgement. (There is only one openly gay player in England’s top four men’s divisions, and none in the Three Lions squad.)
This arrives at a tense moment for wider conversations around English identity. Figures like the podcaster Konstantin Kisin or academic Matt Goodwin argue for the existence of “ethnic” Englishness. The Lionesses’ victory and its reception proves how far from the country’s sense of feeling this assessment is. Arsenal’s Michelle Agyemang was by far one of the most popular players with fans and pundits. The 19-year-old forward won Young Player of the Tournament. Agyemang is of Ghanaian descent, but she was born in Essex and started playing for The Gunners aged six. There is no doubt that Lioness fans would see her anything other than English; even the suggestion would likely have never even crossed their minds.
Last night, England’s pubs were full of young people with red crosses painted across their cheeks, draped in red-and-white flags and proudly sporting the Three Lions badge. This is the England Gareth Southgate wanted: calm, inclusive, proud. That it has arrived via the success of a Dutch-led (the Lionesses’ head coach is former Netherlands player Sarina Wiegman) women’s team is perhaps the way it had to happen. This is the Lionesses’ English vibe shift: it’s cool to say you’re proud to be English.
[See also: The landlord stranglehold]
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