‘I never thought this would happen during my playing career. I thought it would be when I have kids and they grow up and start playing’ – Portsmouth Women captain Danielle Rowe on the Lionesses’ remarkable impact

Yesterday’s 2-1 win over Germany at a sell-out Wembley ensured England lifted the European Championship silverware for the first time in their history.

It was this country’s first major trophy since the men lifted the World Cup in 1966 - at a time when the English FA still banned women’s games from being played at its affiliated grounds.

Like everyone else, Rowe woke up this morning to see the Lionesses’ stunning achievement plastered over the front and back pages of every single national newspaper.

‘As soon as you turn on the telly, or turn on the radio, it’s the first thing that’s being talked about,’ said Rowe. ‘It’s everywhere.

‘It’s only the beginning, really. To play in front of a packed Wembley, it’s every girl’s dream, every boy’s dream.

‘I never thought this would happen during my playing career. I thought it would be when I have kids and they grow up and start playing.

‘It’s amazing. The sport was already growing in terms of participation but this will boost it ten-fold.’

Rowe, 25, managed to get tickets to watch one of the Lionesses’ Euro group games - the 8-0 thrashing of Norway at Brighton’s Amex Stadium.

She is one of a handful of Pompey players who are based in and around the Brighton area.

Though the atmosphere that night ‘was incredible’, Rowe was handed an ever closer look at how the women’s game is growing last week.

She captained Pompey in a pre-season friendly against Brighton at Fratton Park that attracted a women’s club record crowd of almost 3,000.

Pompey’s previous best home attendance was around 1,500 for a league game against Southampton at Fratton Park last December.

The return fixture was played at St Mary’s in April and attracted a remarkable attendance of 5,145. Yes, Saints needed a win to take the title. And yes, it was a game against Pompey. But still … it was a stunning crowd, a record figure for a game in the third tier of women’s football in England.

Proof positive that the women’s game was progressing at a rapid speed even before the European Championship finals began.

With under-18s admitted free in a bid to capitalise on the interest generated by the Lionesses, there were lots of young girls at the ground to watch Pompey’s 3-2 friendly win over Brighton.

And in the same way that young male Blues fans might ask for a selfie with Ronan Curtis or Colby Bishop, so those girls are asking the same of Rowe and her disbelieving colleagues.

‘It was incredible to have almost 3,000 people there,’ she recalled. ‘I never thought when I grew up I would be playing in front of that many.

‘We were signing shirts after the game, being asked for photos - that for us was a bit surreal.

‘People were staying behind (after the game) to meet us, it was amazing. A few years ago that would never have been the case.

‘Then the girls would still have looked up to the men’s team - but now they don’t.’

In terms of being role models for a generation of girls, Rowe added: ‘We would never have looked at ourselves like that. But now there’s more expectations, greater responsibilities.’

For the first time in 2022/23, fans can buy a season ticket for Pompey’s home games in the National Women’s League Southern Premier - the third tier.

An under-18s season ticket is just £11 - working out at £1 per league game - with adult season tickets costing £39. A family of four can buy a season ticket for £100.

‘We want to play in front of as many as possible,’ said Rowe. ‘The flipside of that is there will be more expectations, but that’s what we want.’

Pompey’s short-term aim is to win promotion to the second tier of the women’s pyramid, the Championship.

With that in mind, the squad - who either all have jobs or are students - now train three times a week ahead of Sunday games. Last season they trained on Wednesdays and Fridays - now they have a Tuesday evening session as well.

Tomorrow, therefore, Rowe will finish work in Brighton at 5pm and then drive the near 100-mile round trip to train.

Like everyone, she is hoping the legacy of the Lionesses’ Euro victory includes girls being able to play football at school as part of their PE curriculum.

For her own part, Rowe started off playing the game aged eight - and had to play in a boys team because there was no girls equivalent.

‘I do think that playing in a boys team did help me progress massively,’ she remarked.

‘But now it should be compulsory to have a girls team wherever there is a boys team. If there’s an under-8s boys team, there should be a girls team too.’

Portsmouth’s National Women’s League season kicks off at Ipswich Town on Sunday, August 21.

There follows four successive home games at Havant & Waterlooville’s Westleigh Park against MK Dons, Watford, Gillingham and London Bees.

The women’s team will play home games at the John Jenkins Stadium when the redevelopment of Moneyfields’ former ground in Copnor is completed - hopefully by mid-October.