HEREFORDSHIRE football has reacted to England Women's stunning European Championship success at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

England beat Germany 2-1 after extra time, securing England’s first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, ending 56 years of hurt for fans.

Young Leeds United winger Paige Williams was born in Hereford and started her footballing journey at Herefordshire teams Hinton and Bartestree before moving to north Wales as a teenager.

Hereford Times: Paige Williams trying out as a goalkeeper as a young footballer at Hinton.Paige Williams trying out as a goalkeeper as a young footballer at Hinton.

She went on to play for Liverpool Feds and in 2021 she signed for Leeds United.

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Miss Williams said: "The more it’s normalised that girls can play football and they can play with boys too, it will grow female participation in football even more than it is today.

"It will slowly start to squash any stereotypes that girls can’t play football, when I think it’s pretty clear that they certainly can."

Miss Williams watched the game at Elland Road and was interviewed on the pitch afterwards during Leeds men's friendly match.

She said: "It was lovely to get the appreciation from the crowd.

"Fans who were there for the men's game were cheering with us and singing it’s coming home, sparking a feeling I never thought I’d experience."

More than 100 members of Ross Juniors girls and women's teams also had a day to remember.

They were lucky enough to have tickets to the showpiece occasion and made the most of the day by having a day of competitive football at the Hive London, home of Barnet FC.

Hereford Times: Ross Juniors Under 13's played Stotfold FC from Hertfordshire at Barnet's training ground before heading to Wembley for the game. Picture courtesy of Ross JuniorsRoss Juniors Under 13's played Stotfold FC from Hertfordshire at Barnet's training ground before heading to Wembley for the game. Picture courtesy of Ross Juniors

Girls section coordinator Paul Flitney said: "There were 110 of us lucky enough to have tickets for the final.

"The atmosphere was immense, the crowd was rocking and we were fortunate enough to see it.

"The celebrations carried on all the way home on the coaches.

"It still hasn't fully sunk in yet."

Steve Gibbs coaches at Hinton FC and said: "Young girls, like young boys, just want to play.

"All girls, irrespective of, background, ability, or size, need to be given equal opportunities and need to have a say in what they want their game to look like.

"More girls playing for longer, not the best girls for an individual teams' success.

"For girls to stay in the game long term has to be the legacy of the Euros."