The pace of change in women’s football has been quite something to behold.
On the pitch and off it.
Attendances speak for themselves.
More and more people are paying to get into grounds and are watching on their televisions.
The way in which the media are covering big tournaments like the World Cup is also night and day from where they were a few years ago.
It feels like it’s a sport absolutely in the mainstream now.
The actual football itself is improving rapidly as well.
What a photo this is – the view from the #Lionesses' net for Sam Kerr's equaliser #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/MVkFHVvk80
— FourFourTwo (@FourFourTwo) August 16, 2023
Even looking back to the European Championships, when I went to watch the Lionesses play at Old Trafford, the quality is so much higher.
And it’s not just one or two countries.
The fact that Sarina Wiegman is seriously being talked about as a potential head coach for men’s teams is another mark of the progress being made.
I used to see Shelley Kerr coaching the Stirling University team when I was a full-time curler but there’s no way I’d have predicted women’s football would get to a place so soon where arguably the best coach around was viewed as worthy of consideration for posts like the Dutch men’s side.
She’s shown she’s tactically smart, communicates brilliantly with the media and, most importantly, has the total respect of her players wherever she’s worked.
That’s a lot of boxes ticked.
I can absolutely see her being the first high profile cross-over appointment over the next few years.
Andy Murray broke down barriers by appointing Amelie Mauresmo as his coach a while back.
In my own sport of curling, it hasn’t quite happened yet at the very top.
I think that’s just a case of it not being the right fit but I can see it happening in Sweden, for example, where Eva Lund has worked with Niklas Edin in the past.
For that glass ceiling to be smashed in women’s football would be the biggest step yet for the credibility of their game.
I’ve always been a big believer that having a relatable role model is a huge part of getting to the top at sport.
If you’ve got someone close to you has ‘been there done that’ it makes the idea of emulating them feel so much more realistic.
Rhona Howie’s team were still around when I started out as a full-time curler and then I had getting the better of Kelly Wood as motivation.
There’s no doubt that Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr will have fed off each other to become successive world champions at 1,500 metres.
JOSH KERR WINS THE 1500M FINAL 👏👏👏
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the heavy favourite, is beaten by the Brit! 😮💨
Incredible scenes!#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/8FAYaXDX7H
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 23, 2023
It’s not as if we have a pedigree in that event so being the best in Edinburgh, then Scotland, then Britain must have spurred them on.
It really is an incredible achievement when you step back and think about it.
Steve Cram is the only other British athlete to win world gold at that distance and to be in that company speaks volumes.
Talking of great company, I really enjoyed playing with Santiago Luna in the pro-am for the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship the other day.
The Trump International Links is every bit as impressive as I thought it would be. And as hard!
At least my longest drive win meant I didn’t come back down the road empty-handed!
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