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As the old adage goes: “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Sitting in my apartment in Zurich with another European Championship imminent and wondering where the past three years have gone, it seems as good a time as any to reflect on everything that has happened since the Lionesses lifted their first major trophy.On the eve of Euro 2022, I was asked to write a piece about the month ahead, one not only about the progress of the women’s game but about my journey within the sport. Reading it back, I wrote with so much hope and excitement but as someone who had no idea that all those dreams and more would be realised a few weeks later.That month was about as close to perfect as you will get working in this sport. The football; the atmosphere; the weather; the result. Everyone seemed to be swept up on the wave of euphoria that gained strength as the tournament progressed. Even my grandmother, who would definitely not describe herself as a football fan, was engrossed. I will not be the only one who still gets goosebumps thinking about that day at Wembley. The tears still fall if I dare to watch either of the documentaries made about England’s victory.It was a tournament of firsts for many reasons. On a personal note, I had been asked to be part of the Guardian’s coverage for the first time. I very much expected to play a role akin to that of a back-up goalkeeper, rarely used but there ready to be called on if a disaster occurred. That disaster happened when Suzy Wrack was taken down by a bout of illness and before I knew it I had been drafted in to cover England’s quarter-final against Spain. It was a baptism of fire but turned out to be a career-defining moment. I retained my place in the team for the rest of the tournament, culminating in being published in the paper when England finally did bring it home, before heading to Australia a year later to do the same.View image in fullscreenLucy Bronze celebrates scoring for England in their 7-0 victory over Jamaica at a sold-out King Power Stadium on Sunday, a perfect send-off as the holders seek to defend their European Championship crown in Switzerland. Photograph: Manjit Narotra/ProSports/ShutterstockThe 2023 Women’s World Cup was an unquestionable success. Women’s football globally has gone on a trajectory steeper than many of us would have dared to imagine. As Emma Hayes wrote in a recent column for the Guardian, at the time of Euro 2017 “there were no fully professional women’s leagues in Europe” whereas “thanks to increased investment in the women’s game, there are now more than 3,000 full-time female players across the continent”.On the domestic front, the Football Association has worked hard to try to seize the moment that winning brings. In the final report of its “Inspiring Positive Change” strategy last year, it announced that in the host cities since 2022, 34,000 more women and girls were playing football recreationally, 129,000 more girls were playing regularly in schools, 10,300 more were playing competitively and that more than 519,000 new football opportunities had been created. After the open letter written to the government by the Lionesses which asked for all girls to have access to football in school, the government launched a new approach to school sport this month. The leagues have also continued to develop and Deloitte reported last month that WSL club revenues had increased by 34% to hit £65m in the 2023-24 season with each club generating more than £1m in revenue for the first time.There, of course, are still many problems and disparities to address on and off the pitch. Progress could and should have been much faster and there are still too many instances where the players and their wellbeing are not at the forefront of the decision-making processes.View image in fullscreenSpain’s players take part in a training session in Switzerland, where they are among the favourites to win the tournament. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty ImagesThis is where major championships really do make a difference. For a month, all eyes will be on the sport on an international level. They give the space to inspire, to question, to celebrate and to call out those who continue to fail it. You only have to look back at the aftermath of the World Cup final and the actions of Luis Rubialesto understand how having a worldwide audience allowed the Spain team to finally hold their federation to account. That it required an incident of that severity to accomplish it remains disappointing.In terms of the football, it promises to be more competitive and of a higher quality than ever. Any of the top teams can beat each other on any given day and five or six teams have a real opportunity to win it. Fresh moments will write themselves into the history books, emerging stars will come to the fore, new fans will be drawn into the sport and legacies will be made.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Moving the GoalpostsFree weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s footballEnter your email address Sign upPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionEuro 2025 will be my seventh major tournament and I am still filled with the same excitement as the first. Nothing really does compare to these showpiece months – whether working, supporting your team or both – and I’m not sure anything ever will.Get in touchIf you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email moving.goalposts@theguardian.com.

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