Lincoln City Women’s captain: England Euros run inspiring sporting equality

As England’s Lionesses continue to make history at the European Championships, Lincoln City Women are leaving their own mark on the game, with club captain Amy Kay at the forefront of it all.

Women’s football has soared in popularity in recent years, and England’s heroic run to the European Championships final this summer is inspiring a generation to take up the sport and continue the development of the game.

There are few better examples of this than at Lincoln City, where the women’s team have, for the first time, been awarded a licence for an Emerging Talent Centre, meaning the club will now be the hub for talented female footballers in Lincolnshire.

It is the latest step towards elevating the women’s game and providing equal opportunities in sport, irregardless of gender.

A key part of Lincoln City Women’s success, which saw an unprecedented run to the FA Cup 4th round last season, has been club captain Amy Kay – a talismanic leader on and off the pitch.

Lincoln City defender Regan Poole and captain of the women’s team Amy Kay at Lincoln Cathedral ahead of the new season. | Photo: Chris Vaughan / Lincoln City FC

Amy is not just captain of the first team, she is also the women’s pathways leader for Lincoln City Foundation, and a coach within the club’s academy. She truly lives and breathes football and her hard work is now paying dividends.

She said: “It’s huge for me. I’m from round here so to have something like that back in Lincolnshire and a city that has always got behind and supported women’s football, it’s brilliant.

“We can now give young girls something that they can have here again, it was the main reason why I came to this club. We’re all role models now and I’m jealous to be honest, these younger girls coming up are going to have all the things that we could only dream of really!

“But that’s what we are here for, to make sure these younger players get the opportunities to strive for the equality that we maybe didn’t have access to.”

Amy was at the England game at Bramall Lane, Sheffield on Tuesday night, as the Lionesses roared through to the European Championships final with a resounding 4-0 win over Sweden – the number two ranked female side on the planet.

She told The Lincolnite it was “fantastic to witness” and see the nation support the women’s game, which has been overlooked for so long as the men’s game grew to unimaginable heights.

“It sounds strange to say but I actually forgot I was watching women’s football to be honest,” Amy said. “The atmosphere was brilliant as people spoke about the players, the game. It wasn’t seen as women’s football, it was just a football match.

“You have to remember the FA banned women’s football for 50 years, unfortunately we’re playing catch up. Nothing happens overnight but it’s great to see young players being encouraged to play football, and we’re seeing that at sessions.”

Lincoln City Women have another reason to be excited this weekend, as they kick off their 2022/23 season against local rivals Doncaster Rovers Belles in the first game of the new FAWNL Division One Midlands campaign.

The game will be played at the LNER Stadium, home of the men’s team, in front of what should be a large crowd, with tickets costing just £5 for general admission.

As for England, the final of the Women’s European Championships takes place on Sunday, July 31 at Wembley Stadium, with the Lionesses taking on either France or Germany at the home of English football.