Securing the legacy We owe it to Lionesses to invest in women's football and realise its potential

The Lionesses are simply the most successful England football team in history, winning back-to-back European Championships and becoming the first England senior team to win a major tournament on foreign soil.

- Kelly Simmons

It is an incredible achievement and one that will reverberate through the women's game for many years to come.

The head coach, Sarina Wiegman, is simply world-class; it's an overused phrase but absolutely fitting in this case. To reach five major finals in a row (including a European Championship win and a World Cup final with the Netherlands before joining England) is a record that may never be surpassed. She was an inspired choice by Kay Cossington, the former Football Association technical director who targeted her for her ability to build a strong culture and sense of team as much as her tactical acumen.

The Lionesses, like their manager, also demonstrate exemplary leadership qualities on and off the pitch. On the pitch, they are resilient and determined and simply do not know how to give up. In the semi-final, as even the most ardent England fan was losing hope, they found a way in the 96th minute to claw themselves back into the competition. They had to come from behind three times in the competition and emerged victorious from two penalty shootouts (how very un-English) to retain their trophy.