As Poland were on their way to a historic Euro 2025 win over Denmark the commentator on national TV encouraged people to visit the website of a Polish FA campaign called “Girls’ Team”, which is designed to help young girls find a team to train with. There was such a rush to the website the server broke down.
That would have been unthinkable only a few months ago but the Polish team that played in their first Euros, scored their first goal and secured their first win at the tournament have changed the perception of women’s football in the country for ever. “One of the key goals was to leave the best possible impression and to get little girls interested in the sport,” said the coach, Nina Patalon, after the 3-2 win against Denmark. “That was our biggest responsibility at our first Euros.”
They did just that. Before the tournament the record viewing figure for a women’s football game on national TV was 600,000, for the decisive playoff against Austria. With momentum building, a whopping two million people tuned into the opening match against Germany, where Poland produced a feisty display and were somewhat unlucky to lose 2-0.
By comparison, the men’s national team’s match against the Netherlands at Euro 2024 was watched by nine million people. But the men’s team have lost some of their allure. Their performances at major tournaments have been a source of frustration for Poles. Recently Robert Lewandowski quit in a fit of pique after losing the captaincy, a row that ended with the coach, Michal Probierz, resigning. It wasn’t pretty.
The women, meanwhile, have captured the hearts of a nation. One of the biggest sports portals, sport.pl, wrote: “The Polish women were debutants. They are still at the beginning of their journey. It is still a stage where the saying ‘we are learning, we are gaining experience’ is not a bad excuse, but the honest truth. The fact that they didn’t finish last in such a difficult group, were able to score three goals and win a game, is a surprise that needs to be appreciated. The Euros, but also everything that has happened over the last year, builds hope that the best is coming.”
Poland followed up defeat against Germany with another loss, this time 3-0 against Sweden, before the cathartic victory over Denmark. “I hope we will experience these moments more often,” said Ewa Pajor, the team’s star striker, who plays her club football for Barcelona. “I am proud that we could feel the taste of victory at the European Championships. I know that this is a step on the road to further development.”
The West Ham goalkeeper Kinga Szemik told the Guardian: “I hope that our participation at the Euros is another milestone in propagating the sport and changing the mentality of Polish people. Like we said from the beginning, one of the main goals for us was to help younger generations of girls so if they choose playing football, it’ll be much more accessible and easier for them.”
It has been quite an achievement by the team. A year ago no one believed they would even get to the Euros. And that was not only the experts but also the Polish FA and Nike, who did not plan a special kit for the team. When qualification was secured Nike said that there was not enough time to produce a new jersey. So Poland were the only country at the 16-side tournament who were playing in an old design.
Now, though, the country is looking forward. Poland submitted an application to host this year’s Euros but lost out to Switzerland. They will soon apply to organise the 2029 tournament and should they succeed it will be the first time the women’s Euros are held in eastern Europe.
It brings back memories of 2012, when Poland co-hosted the men’s Euros together with Ukraine. The “Euro effect” is still talked about in Poland, the success of the event having exceeded all expectations. The impact of the Euros on the economy, the development of tourism and the country’s image was invaluable.
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When Patalon was asked before the tournament what would be the biggest success at Euro 2025, the coach said that the team’s performance would contribute towards the number of registered female players growing from 30,000 to 300,000. After the final game against Denmark she said: “It is worth falling in love with our team. My team has presented something that can be a fertiliser for little girls to fall in love with football. They are role models.”
This is just the beginning and one of the best things is that Poland is now a country where girls and boys have new idols. In addition to the Lewandowski or Piotr Zielinski shirts already being worn in the street, those bearing the names of Pajor or Natalia Padilla-Bidas will become more common.
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