Will Rishi grant England Lioness fans celebratory bank holiday? Why England deserve it with or without trophy

England are just one match away from lifting their first World Cup trophy since 1966 and as yet there has been no confirmation as to what celebrations we all might enjoy if the Lionesses are able to pull off what would be the most successful fixture in English football history.

What we do know, however, is that a bank holiday is not out of the question and it’s high time the achievements of the women’s football team was recognised with such regard.

Not simply because they may be achieving something that hasn’t been done in this country since 1966, but more pertinently because they are continuing to inspire and capture a nation, creating life-changing memories for young girls looking to the future.

A recent statement from a government spokesperson said: “Winning the World Cup would be a massive moment for the country and make no mistake we’ll find the right way to celebrate.

“As Sarina Wiegman herself has said, the first thing to do is focus on the final and the whole country will be rooting for the Lionesses this weekend”.

The BBC reported yesterday, however, that a government spokesperson had said there were “no plans” to introduce another bank holiday with the “current pattern or public and bank holidays” being “well established.”

While the BBC also included what was detailed to NationalWorld, we did not receive this additional information, leading fans to believe a bank holiday could well be on the cards with the government open to changing their mind if the Lionesses beat Spain.

What has also been revealed is that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Labour rival Sir Keir Starmer would indeed be in favour of the extra day off. Taking to X, the Labour leader posted: “It’s almost 60 years since England won the World Cup. I’m never complacent about anything…but there should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also backed the plan and described the England team as an “inspiration” and said a final win would “absolutely” deserve to be marked with a bank holiday.

There had been calls a bank holiday should have been in order when our esteemed Lionesses won the Euros 2022 tournament and similarly petitions were in place when it seemed possible the Three Lions could lift the Euros 2020 trophy, before ultimately losing to Italy on penalties.

Of course, we all know that at the end of the day, it’s just a football match. But this is a football match consisting of players who would have been banned from even playing the sport just over 50 years ago. From 1921 to 1970, football in the UK was deemed too unladylike for women to be allowed to participate in it. Fast forward to 2023, and England now have a team in a World Cup final - something the men’s team haven’t been able to do since that grand old year of 1966 (when women were incidentally still banned from playing).

This football match is about representation. It’s about your taxi driver asking you whether you watched ‘the game’ last night and referring to a women’s match as opposed to a men’s.  It’s about growth and it’s about breaking barriers that for too long have been holding back young girls and boys dreaming of the next unimaginable goal

So while a bank holiday may seem a trivial gimmick, it would strongly signify the government’s understanding and appreciation of what the Lionesses have accomplished, even just by reaching  the final.

It also, more importantly, would spread the message that we are a nation that cares for and respects our female athletes, knowing that what they are doing for the wider audience and nation is far greater than merely what we are witnessing on the pitch.