Steph Houghton: England women's football captain sets sights on Euro 2017

Postscript: The Manchester City star led her country to a bronze medal in the World Cup in Canada last summer

England captain Steph Houghton during a breakfast reception at Kensington Palace last July (Getty Images)

Last summer, the England women’s football team achieved the best World Cup performance by any English side since the men triumphed in 1966. Captain Steph Houghton, who plays for Manchester City, led her country to a bronze medal in Canada, also helping to inspire a generation of girls to take up the sport. It has been seven months since the US beat Japan in final, with England finishing third after beating Germany 1-0, but the Lionesses’ impressive performance ensured a lasting legacy.

The tournament was “really positive for women’s football”, says Houghton, who was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year honours. “The greeting we got at Heathrow Airport was amazing – ever since then it’s been a whirlwind.”

The footballer and her team-mates have become accustomed to getting stopped in the street by fans telling them how proud they are of the squad. “Everyone recognised how hard we worked,” she says. “Our motivation was to inspire young girls to watch us and to play the sport. Now a lot of young girls come to our games with our names on the back of their shirts. It’s seen as more normal for girls to play football. More men and women want to watch our sport too, whether it’s coming to the games or watching them on TV.

“There are a lot more opportunities for girls now, and a lot more commercial activity and sponsorship involved. It highlights how seriously people are taking women’s football.”

Following their unprecedented success, the team now have UEFA’s Euro 2017 in their sights. “We want to be the best team in Europe,” says Ms Houghton. “We had a taste of it in the World Cup.

“Germany is our biggest competition – we beat them in the bronze match but they have top quality players and a very good manager. Norway is very strong too. It’s all about concentrating on ourselves, though. We’re in a really good place.”