Football General Manager
- England prevailed in penalty shootout
- Made history with second Euros victory
- Wild celebrations enjoyed across country
Sarina Wiegman’s side made history when going back-to-back on the European Championship front. They successfully defended a continental crown on Swiss soil that was first secured at Wembley Stadium in 2022.
Chloe Kelly was the ultimate hero once again, with the Arsenal forward converting the decisive penalty in a nerve-shredding shootout with World Cup winners Spain. Wild celebrations were sparked in Basel and back home, which stretched long into the night.
An open-top bus parade will take place in London on Tuesday, culminating in a ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, but the BBC reports that there are no plans for a bank holiday to mark the occasion.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the team had “once again captured the hearts of the nation”, while Deputy Prime Minister Rayner said it would be a “privilege to celebrate” with the triumphant Lionesses.
Starmer had said ahead on the back of Euros glory in 2022 that success should be “marked with a proper day of celebration” and reiterated that stance when saying ahead of the 2023 World Cup final that “there should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home”.
There was, however, no day off for workers on the back of England’s World Cup victory in 1966 or the Lionesses’ historic win in 2022. It is claimed that an extra bank holiday would cost the UK economy around £1.36 billion, meaning that no official countrywide celebration will be put in place.
