The optimism at Old Trafford launches this tournament

Sarina Wiegmann found only one word to describe how she perceived the atmosphere at Old Trafford on Wednesday night: “Incredible”. Now, superlatives in relation to fans and football may be used in an inflationary manner – when four noses clap behind the goal by footballers in anticipatory obedience it already conjures up “goosebumps” – but the England coach had a point. Almost 70,000 people made for a European Championship record crowd at this opening game against Austria, including a striking number of families and children who made for a sizzling atmosphere because life has not yet dulled them. Hardly a touch of the ball that wasn’t accompanied by an admiring “Ohhh”, no forward movement that didn’t trigger anticipation in the audience because the possibilities seemed endless in their own imagination. There was that optimism in the air that is buzzing around women’s football these days, because there is hope that this tournament could be a spark for better times. Among others, Harry Maguire, the England international in the service of Manchester United, sat in the stands.

The memories of Sir Alex Ferguson and a time gone by

Old Trafford, United’s home ground, was a worthy choice for this EURO opener. One could perhaps say: Old Trafford of all places, the “Theatre of Dreams”, the place where 28 years ago the coaching icon Sir Alex Ferguson turned down a physiotherapist who had applied for a job at Manchester United on the grounds that that “football for most players is a sport for men”. But on Wednesday, Manchester was a stark reminder that times have changed.

On the way to the stadium, you will pass hawkers selling match scarves and flags. And on banners under the street lamps, on which England’s players, apostrophized by the boulevard as “lionesses”, make promises. The defender Lucy Bronze, for example, the world footballer of 2020, is quoted as saying: “Our fans deserve the best and we will give everything.” The English women don’t quite live up to the platitude. There was only one goal against the massive outsiders Austria, scored early and checked by VAR for a longer period of time because it was not immediately apparent whether the ball had really crossed the goal line. It was a nervous start, purely playfully, but how could it be otherwise? The popularity that women’s football is currently experiencing is new. In the English Women’s Super League, too, the teams almost always play in small alternate stadiums. For example, Manchester United’s home ground is Leigh Sports Village, a 30-minute drive from Old Trafford, where Switzerland play their opening game against Portugal on Saturday. Emotionally, it’s a different thing to play in front of 70,000 people, you have to process that first.

Endless queues in front of the women’s toilets

The packaging, the trappings, may have been more coherent than the content on Wednesday. But that didn’t detract from the evening. At least at this European Championship, women’s football is trying to attract a new, broader audience. Children were seen happily securing the official Panini scrapbook – a product that had not been available from this tournament for many years. And for once endless lines in front of the women’s toilets. And in the city, a never-ending stream of people in jerseys – those who couldn’t secure a ticket sat down in the pub with a pint of cider. At least as far as the public interest is concerned, this European championship is fully launched.