The Real Pride of England

The Lionesses' positive patriotism will beat Tommy Robinson's plastic patriotism every time.

Three years today, the Lionesses stormed to Euro 2022 glory, with victory at Wembley - a first major trophy for the country since ‘66. This, we thought, was the crowning moment for women’s football in our country. But this Tuesday, the Mall was lined with young girls and boys welcoming the Lionesses home from Switzerland, the first England senior team to win back-to-back Euros and the first to claim a major tournament on foreign soil.

So, what inspired the 65,000+ people to celebrate these champions as they took centre stage in front of Buckingham Palace? Was it the universal recognition of the scale of the feat achieved? Was it a reflection of the remarkable growth in support of the women’s game? Was it the desire to celebrate a team that has brought football home, twice scratching a national itch which the men have failed to for 60 years?

There is, of course, truth in all of these sentiments. However, the sheer level of adoration in central London on an overcast Tuesday afternoon (no Bank Holiday, I may add) points to an explanation beyond England’s Euro 2025 triumph over Spain on Sunday. This was a moment of national unity, at a time when many are struggling to find pride in this concept.

And understandably so. The idea of ‘Englishness’, for too long, has been hijacked by the far-right, to justify a warped politics of hate and division, whilst claiming their actions to be in the name of England.

To illustrate this, you only need to look back to Sunday. As the final kicked off, Tommy Robinson’s hard-of-thinking followers gathered on the streets of Epping, demanding the closure of a hotel housing asylum-seekers in the Essex town. Pleasing though it was to see them outnumbered about five to one by antifascist counter-protesters, it’s deeply sad that this is how some people chose to show their ‘love of England’ on Sunday. Their St. George’s flags were waved with anger and hatred, when they should have been hanging in their local pub, enjoying a cold pint as the Lionesses brought football home again.

Let’s be absolutely clear - these Robinson thugs are no patriots. The England we know is reflected in those who proudly displayed their St. George’s flags in our homes and pubs, and those waving the same flags in the stands in Basel. Their love for England is grounded in a deep belief in the people of our country - in those at the peak of their abilities, representing us all on the global stage. It’s a celebration of success achieved through adversity, whether in sport or in life. And wow, did the Lionesses do just that.

Just consider some of the storylines in this team. Before the tournament, both pundits and fans doubted whether goalkeeper Hannah Hampton could fill the gloves of previous No. 1 and fan favourite Mary Earps. But two crucial saves in Sunday’s penalty shootout made her an instant English hero and silenced the doubters. This achievement is even more impressive given that doctors once told her she might struggle to play professional football due to a visual impairment affecting her depth perception.

At 33, England’s oldest player, Lucy Bronze, revealed after the match that she had played the entire tournament with a fractured tibia. She played with a quiet determination that never needed to be announced, battling pain in the name of collective national glory. And for her efforts, England’s most decorated footballer came out the other side with yet another winner’s medal.

After being frozen out by Manchester City, Chloe Kelly seemed a likely omission from this summer’s squad. But she fought for a move to Arsenal, guided them to Champions League glory, and then playing the role of super-sub to perfection for England. In her own words, ‘the first time was so nice, she had to do it twice’. Having bagged the winner for England three years ago, Kelly scored the winning penalty on Sunday.

There are many more stories to tell, but these are the stories of our English heroes - the heroes who brought it home again.

English football has long been the butt of major tournament jokes and jibes. But the Lionesses have fundamentally redefined this narrative. The team led for a total of just four minutes and 52 seconds across the three knockout games. They lost their opening match to France, required extra-time in every single knockout round, and trailed at half-time in the final. By all logic, this should have been another chapter in the long story of English football heartbreak. But instead, they came out on top, not through sheer dominance, but from adaptability, unity, and the courage to keep fighting when all seemed lost. That fighting spirit - that’s something we buy into as a nation, something that creates a sense of national pride.

During the post-match interviews, Kelly said she’s “so proud to be English,” and Hampton credited “that English blood” for their “never say die” attitude. And they’re right. There’s a unique English spirit behind everything the Lionesses have achieved over the past three years. That spirit shines not only in Kelly and Hampton, but even in manager Sarina Wiegman, a Dutchwoman (but clearly English at heart!). It’s this spirit that the Lionesses accredit their success to - and that the country has embraced.

They have provided us all with a blueprint for modern national identity. A national identity that isn't fixed, but is constantly being written and re-written. A national identity shaped not by those who profit from division, but by those who demonstrate what we can achieve together. A national identity not defined by a fascist few, but by everyone who buys into the spirit of England.

But it is just that - a blueprint - an idea of what England should look like. Bur despite the recent surge of national pride, the meaning of ‘Englishness’ can quickly be hijacked by those who weaponise our country’s name to promote their own ugly politics.

So, next time you see those in our society claiming their ‘Englishness’ in a context of division, remind them of our true English heroes. Our England is about a shared goal for our country to be the best it can be, however that presents itself, and, more importantly, by whomever delivers these feelings of success. That’s the England we saw along the St. George’s-clad Mall on Tuesday, not the England on display in Epping. And we all know which England more of us chose to believe in this week.

Football, as they say, is coming home (again). The real question is: what kind of home are we ready to build for it? In the animal kingdom, the lioness is the true leader of the pride. In England, our Lionesses have become the heart of our national pride. They represent the best of us - what it truly means to be English, what it truly means to be England.