England celebrate winning back-to-back Euro crowns after a dramatic penalty shootout against Spain [Priscila Bütler / SPP]

PICTURE the scene: an England player lifts the trophy aloft in front of adoring supporters before turning to a reporter and revealing she was there back in 2025 when the Lionesses celebrated their European triumph in central London.

That’s the vision that many hope will transpire following England’s Euro heroics – a new crop of future stars inspired to play the beautiful game.

A sea of proud supporters – estimated to be in the region of 65,000 – cheered and waved their flags feverishly as Sarina Wiegman’s comeback queens travelled along The Mall before taking to the stage in front of the Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday afternoon.

And while suggestions of a bank holiday to mark this historic occasion quickly became soft whispers, there is now very loud noise suggesting that Wiegman and her players could soon find themselves back at the Palace picking up more gongs.

Having scored the decisive spot-kick that sealed the dramatic shootout victory over Spain on Sunday, Chloe Kelly was inevitably at the heart of the celebrations. The unwavering match-winner has had practice when it comes to celebrating on the big stage, having sparked wild scenes of pandemonium at Wembley three years ago when she struck in extra-time to earn England a 2-1 win against Germany in the Euro 2022 final.

“Pressure? What pressure?” roared the Arsenal forward as she addressed the crowd.

Of course, there is always pressure – both on and off the pitch.

Having won back-to-back European crowns and reached a World Cup final, it’s safe to say that the England players have done their part.

Now it’s over to the FA and the government to do theirs by making sure that the surge of investor interest in girls’ and women’s football is dialled up to the max and capitalised upon.

Among the superfans cheering England on to victory on Sunday in front of her TV screen was Diane Culligan.

The Hampstead FC chairwoman and founder of London City Lionesses has been an advocate for girls’ and women’s football for more than two decades.

At its peak, Hampstead had 12 successful girls’ teams and two senior women’s sides, and while Diane has now taken a step back from the Lionesses, she is still counting down the days until they play their first-ever Women’s Super League match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in September.

Hoping that those in a position to capitalise on the excitement surrounding women’s football now make sure there is heavy investment in the sport, she said: “The job is not done; this is only the beginning.

“I’m also a committee member on the Capital Girls League, and anecdotally I don’t recall a massive surge of new clubs after England’s Euros win in 2022.

“It’s easy to get girls playing football after a big tournament win, but getting them to train once or maybe twice a week and then play every weekend over the course of a whole season, that’s the big challenge.

“I admire what the FA have done at the top of the tree; nobody is going to criticise them after England have won two Euros in a row and got to a World Cup final. But they have to make sure they keep nurturing the grassroots game, too.

“Now more than ever the FA and the government have to support girls, women, clubs, and leagues and make sure that the infrastructure is in place to keep growing the game.”

Praising the Lionesses’ heroics in Switzerland, the first time an England team has won a major trophy on foreign soil, Diane added: “It’s absolutely amazing. I’m so proud of everyone involved. The physical, mental and emotional effort that it took, especially to come from 2-0 down against Sweden, and then coming from behind to beat Italy and then Spain in the final. Amazing. If there was a crisis, I would want to be in the room with Sarina and all the players!”

Arsenal defender and England captain Leah Williamson acknowledged the young girls who might now one day follow in her footsteps during Tuesday’s moving celebrations.

“I’ve been crying all the way down the Mall,” she said. “This is unbelievable. Probably one of the best things we’ve been a part of.

“There are loads of ways to win a football match. We repeatedly did it the hard way. But you can see how much we care about playing for England and how much we love it. 2022 was a fairytale. This feels really hard-earned. We’re really proud of ourselves.

“My message is, everything we do, obviously we do some things for ourselves and the team; we do it for the country, we do it for young girls.

“This job never existed 30 years ago. We’re making history with everything we do.”