Photo by Lynne Cameron - The FA/The FA via Getty Images

Rewind four years and there I was, stood outside our school 3G pitch clutching my football boots with a mixture of excitement and nervousness running through my veins. It was time for my first ever GSCE exam.

Unlike attempting algebra or learning the periodic table, P.E was the lesson I enjoyed the most. Yet through the gravelly voice of Mr. He-Knows-Who, all of that joy and excitement was instantly snatched away from me as I was told that I couldn’t play.

Why, you may ask? Well, that’s because I’m a girl.

Having spent four hours with my dad at the weekend, frantically searching for a seemingly non-existant size 3 girls football boot, I was told that I couldn’t take my GCSE in football and join the practical class because “it would be unfair on the boys”.

Instead, I was to take trampolining.

Considering the most impressive skill I could execute was a flimsy looking somersault by bouncing on my knees, it was no surprise that a grade C followed. Since then, I often wondered if my grade would have been higher if I had been allowed to play the sport I had legitimate skill in, rather than shoved onto a trampoline because it was the ‘fair’ thing to do.

Fortunately, fast forward to 2022 and female participation in football has hugely improved, with 63% of all grassroot clubs boasting at least one girls’ team. The likes of Leah Williamson and Ella Toone are proving that football is – and always has been – a woman’s sport. Our England Lionesses claimed a historic European Championship and it finally feels like out-dated stereotypes and stigmas around the woman’s game have been lifted.

But why did it take so long and what can we do to continue moving our beautiful game forward?

According to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 National legacy brochure, 75% of grassroot clubs are aiming to offer at least one girls’ team by 2024, a significant change from how clubs were run over 10 years ago.

The ability to increase funding in the game stems from the growing interest and exposure in women’s football. There’s more broadcasting of games on TV and further social media exposure, all contributing to the growth of women’s football and filtering down from the Lionesses to grassroots level.

Every weekend, I used to sit on the sidelines alongside 100s of people watching my brother play football. While at my games, there was just the one fan I called ‘dad’, who would stand there awkwardly with his thumb up.

It’s a stark contrast to the crowds of parents and fans you’ll see across the UK, watching an U13’s girls football game in the blistering rain or putting their garden trampoline on Facebook Marketplace so they can buy the latest Beth Mead shirt.

And just look at the Euro 2022 final between England and Germany, which drew in 87,192 spectators, the largest audience for a Euros game in both me or women football history.

When I was in school, the girls would play netball and the boys football. And this wouldn’t change simply because a few of us dared to challenge the rules.

The structuring and rules come from a place much higher, in FA Board meetings and at school councils. But it’s the Lionesses performances that helped put that conversation into meeting rooms and it’s captured perfectly by Ian Wrigh.

After England’s 4-0 semi-final win against Sweden he exclaimed: “If girls aren’t allowed to play football in PE after this what are we doing?”

"If there is no legacy after this, then what are we doing? Because girls should be able to play." 🗣 Spot on, @IanWright0 ❤️️#WEURO2022 #BBCEuros #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/ZdQxXPXxHh

While National legacy make these ‘75%’ promises, there’s always more that can be done. According to The FA , 91% of girls who don’t have access to football in PE want to play the game. Campaign LetGirlsPlay aims to tackle this statistic by working with groups of women aged 14-18 to ensure they get the game-time they deserve from at break-time kick-arounds to school curriculums and at local clubs. It takes change like this campaign to give girls the opportunities that I never had.

The women’s Euros final sparked an enthusiasm in me that I hadn’t felt since I last kicked the ball around in school and Chloe Kelly’s 110th-minute goal was a win not only for England, but for women and girls across the UK. I am so proud of the Lionesses and the burden they’ve carried so proudly and expertly for the next generation of female footballers.

In other news, Striker now playing in second-tier after turning down Liverpool and Leeds