Beth Mead hopes England women can ‘create a lasting legacy’ following Euro 2022

When Beth Mead took home the 2022 Golden Boot and Best Player award after England triumphed over Germany, Ian Wright declared her ‘revenge tour’ over.

It was a nod to how she had overcome the disappointment of missing out on roster for the Tokyo Olympics to have the best 12 months of her career.

“He invented revenge himself!” Mead laughs. “I wanted to prove to people that I was more than just the girl who wasn’t selected for the Olympics.”

But with Mead nominated for the Ballon d’Or, one of the favorites to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year and gearing up for a huge season at Arsenal, isn’t the tour just getting started?

‘You get more hungry for success,’ says Mead Sports post. ‘You can taste winning and as a competitive athlete you no longer want that.’

Mead’s determination to continue her European Championship form at club level is even greater, as Arsenal finished last season – their first under boss Jonas Eidevall – trophy-less, finishing one point behind champions Chelsea.

“Last season was tough,” Mead says. “We’ve had a pretty good season, but we didn’t get away with it. As English players who have just tasted to win something so big, we want to keep going and win more stuff. We feel we are in a good place.

‘We have a few additions. We have a great group and the quality is very, very good and hopefully it shows this season. Hopefully we can discover those small margins that we need to get better at.”

The attacker hopes England can ‘create a lasting legacy’ after winning the tournament

Arsenal’s women train with the men’s team in state-of-the-art London Colney

Arsenal have boosted ticket sales since the European Championship with advertisements at men’s matches and a social media campaign. But the club has also pumped money into improving facilities for Mead and her team-mates, who train with Mikel Arteta at London Colney.

“It was incredible with us on the men’s side,” she says. ‘We are integrated as one team. We have new facilities that they built over the summer.

‘We have our own department with feeding stations, a luggage room and, crazy as it may sound, our own ice baths.

“They have invested a lot of time in us and they have also listened to us and what we need as players. Now we have to do business.

“There is a lot of promotion in these matches and playing in the Emirates six times a season is a big difference from playing in Boreham Wood in front of 2,000 people. They push us to help us to the next level.’

Mead celebrates after scoring for Arsenal against Brighton in the WSL last season

The North London derby next weekend is expected to bring a record attendance for a WSL match

Mead speaks with Sports post at a Fun Football session for McDonald’s, for whom she is an ambassador.

The Lionesses’ team wrote an open letter to the government after the European Championship, urging them to ensure that all girls have the opportunity to play football at school, something Mead is passionate about.

“With the open letter, we wanted to get two hours of compulsory gym for girls,” she says. “We knew we were in an excellent position to demand that. McDonald’s Fun Football sessions were incredible. It’s great that it’s free and there’s a 60 percent increase (in participation) since the euro. We want to keep pushing that.’

Arsenal kick off the season in front of a sold-out crowd against Brighton on Friday night after the first round was postponed last weekend. The Gunners will also play the derby against Tottenham at the Emirates for a week on Saturday and are ready for a record crowd for a WSL match with more than 45,000 tickets sold.

Mead wants record sales in the Women’s Super League to become ‘the new norm’

‘That’s what we want. That should become the new norm. We said, ‘This is just the beginning’, but we want to create a lasting legacy, not one that will be a buzz around the women’s game for a few months.

“It’s incredible stats (for tickets) so far across the league. We just have to keep pushing for that to be the new norm.

“It’s up to us as teams and players to deliver our best football, but we need people to come to games, get bums into seats and maintain the excitement around the women’s game. That’s the least it deserves.’

Beth Mead is an ambassador for McDonald’s Fun Football, the UK’s largest free grassroots program that will coach 1 million children over the next four years. Visit mcdonalds.co.uk/football