Indian cricket fans celebrate first Women’s World Cup title | Cricket
Cricket fans have been celebrating across India after the women’s team claimed their first ever World Cup, defeating South Africa in the final in Mumbai.
Published On 3 Nov 2025
‘Girl Power’ is back! From Rugby World Cup win to back-to-back Euro titles, women’s sport defies odds to make us proud
GIRLS are aloud and making us proud!
OK, no more nostalgia about 1990s ‘Girl Power,’ but the times they are a-changing and then some.
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The Red Roses blossomed last weekend as the England women’s rugby team won the World Cup in front of a record 82,000 Twickenham full-house.
That came hot on the heels of our Lionesses’ back-to-back European Championships successes and proves that women’s sport is here to stay.
Rewind two or three decades and women, when mentioned in the same breath as football, was something approaching a dirty word. Just look at the history books.
In 1921 there were over 150 women’s football clubs playing games in front of 40,000-plus gates.
So what did the FA do? They banned it, saying it was “unsuitable for females.”
It only took nearly five decades for the FA to change their minds and growth in the women’s game in the 70s and 80s was slow.
In fact, the national team had to wait until 1998 to have its first full time coach, Hope Powell.
The 2012 London Olympics handed the women’s game a massive boost. TeamGB were watched by over 70,000 at Wembley against Brazil and footie for females was finally freed.
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Last year, an FA study revealed a 56 percent rise in the number of women and girls playing football in the previous four years.
The number of registered female football clubs has more than doubled in the last seven years and just look at crowds in the WSL.
Seven seasons ago the highest gate at any game was 2,648 for Chelsea against Manchester City. Last season it was nearly 57,000 for the North London derby.
A new sponsorship deal with Barclays is worth £15million a year and WSL clubs’ revenues soared 34 percent in 2023-24 alone. So from the grassroots all the way up, women’s football is on the up.
Thankfully, that kind of progress is being repeated in other sports and not just rugby, where there has been significant growth in recent years to the tune of a 60 percent rise in registered players since 2017.
What about cricket? Our girls took a pasting against the Aussies, but the World Cup is upon us with England aiming for a fifth title.
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In other sports, women do us proud. From netball’s Jade Clarke to tennis star Emma Raducanu, to athlete Keely Hodgkinson and world champion boxer Lauren Price… the list is long and shows just how women are flourishing.
Having said that, I was stunned to read that middle-distance runner Georgia Hunter Bell still worked full-time in tech sales just a few months before winning a bronze at last year’s Paris Olympics.
I cannot imagine a male elite athlete doing the same.
Georgia won silver at the World Championships last month and hopefully being a 24-7 athlete will help her go one better next time.
I’m obviously aware of the lack of female representation in the corridors of power within football and other sports, but I hope that is slowly changing.
Both the FA and PL chairs are women — Debbie Hewitt and Alison Brittain — and are doing a fine job.
Right now, though, I’d rather concentrate on the progress that has been made in a relatively short time.
The WSL is in rude health and will get bigger and better, underlining the fact that we, as a nation, are leading the way in the men’s and women’s game.
We should celebrate that because ‘girls just wanna have fun’.
Five cheap ways to cheer on the Women’s Rugby World Cup without blowing your budget
ARE you up for the Women’s Rugby World Cup?
It all kicked off at the weekend with a thumping 69 – 7 win for England over the USA.
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Whether you fancy catching a match live, soaking up the atmosphere in a fan zone or simply clinking pints with pals, there are plenty of ways to cheer on the tournament without blowing your budget.
Here are some ideas . . .
NAB A TICKET: Want to see a match live? There are still tickets this week.
You can currently get them for Australia v USA on Saturday, with adult seats from £15 and kids for a fiver.
See rwc2025.rugbyworldcup.com/events to bag yours.
PUB PERK: If you’d rather watch with a pint in hand, Young’s Pubs are showing the action on big screens.
And they are offering one free round of Asahi for dining bookings of four–ten people on match days.
The deal is only at selected pubs, so check youngs.co.uk to see where’s in.
FAN FUN: Head to the fan zone at Power Station Park in London for free screenings, DJs, T1 Rugby coaching sessions and activities from tournament partners.
In Bristol, the harbourside Amphitheatre will be buzzing as the city hosts the semi-finals and two quarter-finals, with lots of pre and post-match fun on offer.
From The Sports Desk – Women’s Rugby World Cup – England’s route to the final
PLAY ON: Want to play or join in with the World Cup spirit?
Use the ‘Find Rugby’ tool on englandrugby.com to track down local clubs hosting World Cup events, sign up for family friendly rugby activities and explore opportunities for girls to get into the game with free taster sessions at rugby clubs across the country.
GET OUT ON THE PITCH: You can also grab a ball and practise your passing skills with the whole family in the garden.
The official Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Supporter Ball is now available, for £25, online at store.world.rugby.
- All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
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