News : England – The Roar of the Lionesses – Sport

The Bistrot de Charles in Valenciennes offers on game days of this World Cup a successful mix of sports bar and restaurant operation. The meeting place could not have been more convenient for football matches at the Stade du Hainaut: directly at a roundabout, which actually has to happen anyone who wants to get into the red-washed home stadium of the French second division FC Valenciennes. The flags of those nations who played in the preliminary round in the northern French city are neatly hung on the brick facade: Italy and Australia, Spain and Germany, Cameroon, the Netherlands and Brazil. The leading nations of women's football should not be missing, so also the banners of Japan and USA, the finalists of the World Cup 2011 and 2015, as well as of China still outfitted, in 1999 beaten in the final only on penalties against the USA had to give.

But now, not far from the Belgian border, there is the nation that claims leadership 20 years later: England. With the round of 16 against Cameroon (Sunday, 17.30 clock) comes the world ranking third to Valenciennes, of course, understands the round of the last 16 only as a transit station. After the preliminary round victories against Scotland (2-1), Argentina (1-0) and Japan (2-0), the mission has just begun.

"I do not see why we should not go to a big tournament with the goal of winning it," says Georgia Stanway. The 20-year-old offensive player from Manchester City is one of the refreshing discoveries in the team of coach Phil Neville, who has a high claim to serve: After finishing third in the 2015 World Cup and advancing into the semi-finals of the 2017 European Championship is now expected to captain Steph Houghton at least once in the final week to Lyon leads this team. Then hosts France or world champions USA could wait in the semifinals. Such a big duel would be exactly what English women's football craves.

English top clubs are watching the World Cup closely

Long ago, "Three Lionesses" have become role models of which even conservative politicians rave about. "I want every child to have the stamina, courage and determination of the lionesses," said Education Minister Damian Hinds in an article for the Guardian written. With campaigns such as "This Girl Can" to break down the barriers in English school, the government invested 320 million pounds in the action plans to introduce boys and girls to sports. Hinds knows that the best projects do not help when idols are missing. And that's why England is good at the tournament: "Regardless of what's happening in France, this World Cup is already helping to inspire a new generation of girls for football."

English top clubs that have invested heavily in women's football watch the World Cup closely. "It's going so well, we've taken so many steps in the last few years, and in my view, an international trophy is the last thing missing: winning the World Cup would mean we've really arrived," says Emma Hayes , the busy manager of Chelsea FC. For their ladies was only in the semifinals of the Women's Champions League against series winner Olympique Lyon terminus.

The momentum is huge: federation and clubs are almost trumping the big stadiums for women's football. For the agreed friendly game England against Germany on November 9, the Football Association (FA) has made plans to fill the Wembley Stadium. Arsenal will celebrate its season opener on July 28 in the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium with men and women. The Arsenal Ladies play against Bayern at lunchtime, followed by Mesut Özil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Co. in the afternoon with their game against Olympique Lyon. "The fact that the game will be played shortly before the men's match in the big stadium is a great sign of the great potential and positive development of women's football in Europe," said Karin Danner, the manager of FC Bayern Frauen.

Arsenal attracted some players from Munich to the island

FC Bayern did not dare take such a move in the spring of the Women's Champions League semi-finals, although the players had explicitly requested a move to a larger stadium, as Melanie Leupolz said at the World Cup preparations in Grassau: "I did not understand that it was a club decision against FC Barcelona, ​​and that it was a club decision against FC Barcelona, ​​with FC Bayern in the lead, so it would have been an opportunity to make an exclamation point with women as well . "

The Arsenal Ladies have with goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, Leonie Maier and Jill Roord just three Bayern players on the Thames piloted. Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema or Austrian Viktoria Schnaderbeck had already gone the same way. "The women's Bundesliga must take care that not even more German national team players migrate, otherwise it loses its appeal," warns Leupolz. "Foreign countries are very tempting, and I think there is more recognition within the club, and Manchester United has played an average of 2,500 people, twice as many as we have - and that's the second English league." Presumably, there is just so much on the island in terms of women's football that it really does not need the English flag in front of the Bistrot de Charles in Valenciennes.