The Lionesses’ Women’s Euro Success Immortalized In New Documentary Film

The success of the England women’s soccer team at this summer’s UEFA Women’s Euro tournament is relived in a new 75-minute documentary film produced by Altitude Films and directed by Poppy de Villeneuve which is released on Apple TV from Monday.

With women’s soccer currently overshadowed by the all-consuming coverage of the men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Lionesses: How Football Came Home, is a timely reminder of how the women’s game captivated England during a glorious summer heatwave.

Six of the players – captain Leah Williamson, Mary Earps, Fran Kirby, Nikita Parris, Jill Scott and Keira Walsh – contribute with their own recollections of the three-week tournament alongside journalists Faye Carruthers and Nicole Holliday. The players also take it in turns to reflect on their own individual paths to reaching the top using home-movie footage from their childhood.

Goalkeeper Mary Earps talks about how her boredom at taking her turn in goal at her first club West Bridgford Colts was converted into an obsession with keeping clean sheets after she saved a penalty as a young girl. She admits, “I hate conceding a goal, whether it’s a friendly match or a European championship final. I hate conceding, I always want to keep clean sheets.”

There are many behind-the-scenes moments of humour such as when the players recall how on the night before the final against Germany at Wembley Stadium, their sleep was interrupted by electronic curtains in their rooms which opened and closed seemingly of their own free will.

The six matches are also interspersed with poignant reminders of how far the women’s game has come in spite of the numerous obstacles hindering its development. From the ban the English Football Association placed on playing women’s matches at professional club grounds, through England’s first official international match in 1972, their first European championship final in 1984 and their previous final in 2009 when coach Hope Powell confessed not a single member of the media were at the airport to welcome home the runners-up in the tournament.

Other former players, such as Carol Thomas, the first woman to win 50 caps for England and former defender Anita Asante are interviewed as well as Powell to give the story of the Lionesees’ triumph a historical perspective, alongside archive footage of those teams and the conditions and apathy they encountered in their time.

This contrasts with the heady journey of the 2022 Lionesses who were swept along on a tide of emotion playing on home soil. The film beautifully interweaves the match action with footage of the England fans around the country to capture the zeitgeist of the summer, from marches in Sheffield to the festival in Trafalgar Square to the viewing screens around the capital.

There is no insight from the mastermind behind the success, head coach Sarina Wiegman, and with the BBC releasing their own documentary on the Lionesses’ success on Wednesday, the film suffers from the lack of the original commentary on the games but the journey to the conclusion we all know is still involving and some of the player’s revelations on their feelings at the end will tug at the heartstrings.

Williamson is particularly eloquent expressing her emotions, admitting she took a moment to cry in the dressing room after the semi-final victory over Sweden. She also reveals Wiegman’s final words at the team meeting ahead of the final which alleviated the tension amongst the players, “we don’t need to win, but we really, really want to.”

At the end Williamson quotes England’s 1966 World Cup winner, Geoff Hurst, to describe how she felt after the whistle which signalled ultimate victory at the end of the final. “My initial feeling was one of relief but the feeling of winning has stayed with me forever.”

Lionesses: How Football Came Home is available to own on DVD and digital from 19 December and watch on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW from 27 December.