Chloe Kelly she wants women and girls to feel like they can be “just themselves”, as she did last summer when she celebrated her Euro title in an unforgettable style.
After taking home overtime that secured England’s historic 2-1 win Germany also Wembley In July, backup Kelly took off her shirt and swung it around her head as she walked away in her sports bra.
Kelly says that while it’s seen as a display of female empowerment, it’s a spontaneous reaction and celebrates as she did as a child, as she generally felt on the field that day.
25-year-old born in Ealing Manchester City Winger told the PA news agency: “I think it was unexpected and it showed my emotion at the time.
“’We did it’, that’s all I could think of. It wasn’t much more than that – and then we needed to see the game and what I could do to make it happen. But I think at that moment I celebrated and I went absolutely crazy!
“This is something I love to talk about because it brings back so many great memories. I think it will stay with me forever and I will definitely tell my grandchildren and things like that, because these are the memories you had when you were a young girl.
“For me, who grew up just around the corner from Wembley, you dream of those moments to play there. As a kid I used to play ‘Wembley doubles’ where you score goals and move on to the next round, and it’s just like playing at Wembley.
“That’s how I felt – I felt like a young kid there on the field and celebrated the goal like I’d celebrate in cage football.”
Comparisons were made with former US international Brandi Chastain’s famous celebration after she scored the winning penalty in the 1999 World Cup final.
“To see how many women were so touched by this and how powerful it was – I probably didn’t,” Kelly said, who received a message from the “inspiring” Chastain on Twitter that day and kept in touch with him. realize in that moment how powerful that celebration is… I think it’s great and I think we as women are very strong. So let’s be ourselves.
“I think that the whole tournament really empowered women in this country, not just me at that celebration. England I think this is too long, it can go on. Now we have to keep our feet on the gas.
“Those who came before us paved the way for us to be in this moment now, and I think we now need to create a forward-looking legacy and an environment where younger generations can just be themselves. Be comfortable in an environment where you can be yourself – I think that’s what we set out to do with PE classes in schools and to make football accessible to girls. I think that’s huge.”
Coinciding with International Women’s Day, it has been announced that the Government will make clear that it is expected to provide schools with at least two hours of Physical Education per week and to ensure equal access for girls to all school sports, including football.
This comes after the England team called for changes in an open letter published just after the Euro success, the first major tournament victory in the team’s history.
In December, the Football Association released a number of positive statistics on the growth of women’s football, including the number of registered female players, which increased by 12.5 percent from September to December, and the number of spectators in the 2022-23 Women’s Super League season. As with the Euro, records were broken.
Hoping for more success with the Lionesses at the World Cups in Australia and New Zealand this summer, Kelly says he’s “very proud” of the role he’s played in the transformation so far.
And he said: “I think we can keep that going as people and as players.
“Sometimes ‘no, why aren’t girls allowed in this setting?’ I feel like I’m having difficult conversations like very important. I think what we’ve done in the summer is incredible, but in sports – not just football, but sport as a whole – we still have a long way to go with women, and I think it’s very important that we keep our feet on the gas.
“I’m proud to be part of a team that has changed mindsets, and it’s so much better now – and I think we can make it even better for the next generation.”