Sir Geoff Hurst says the Lionesses ‘will get over’ the hurt of their World Cup loss sooner than they think.
The 81-year-old – whose hat-trick heroics propelled the Three Lions to glory in 1966 – sent a message of support to Sarina Wiegman’s squad.
It comes after the England legend hit out at Prince William for not making the journey Down Under to support the team.
Sir Geoff told Metro: ‘I’ve been there and know how disappointing it feels.
‘On a personal level they will get over the loss. They are professionals and have bad times in sport – as we all do. You win stuff, you lose stuff.
‘They will be bitterly disappointed – we’re bitterly disappointed as supporters as well – but what the Lionesses have achieved is just amazing.
‘It’s not easy to win a World Cup, we won ours 57 years ago and England is still waiting for another.’
Sir Geoff watched the tournament unfold from his home in Cheltenham with his wife Judith, and excitedly texted with his granddaughter Amy during games.
He added: ‘In the past, I’ve met female journalists who were once barred from playing football. It’s hard to imagine now with what we’ve seen in the last few years.
‘They don’t have the trophy, but the Lionesses are still winners to me.
‘The legacy they’ve left from the Euros and now the World Cup is making a huge difference.
‘It will also change their lives. They’ll be 80 in a supermarket and someone will come up and go “oh you’re Millie Bright, you were captain in the 2023 World Cup.”
‘People don’t forget.’
Sir Geoff spoke with Metro from a girls training session at Youngs FC, a club which has bolstered its ranks with an under-17s team thanks to National Lottery funding.
The Wembley hero met with players and coaches to find out more about the impact of dedicated support at the grassroots level.
Sir Geoff added: ‘The National Lottery has invested £50 million into the sport over the last decade.
‘It takes funds and time to run a football club. Youngs FC have an under 17s team now, and that’s coming in thanks to new money.
‘It’s been really interesting talking with the coaches here and hearing what they are doing differently.
‘In the past, an issue in football at a grassroots level has been parents standing on the line shouting and screaming.
‘Here, they have a parent committee to officially deal with any issues. It’s a major step forward to make sure people can simply enjoy football and have fun.
‘There are 200 new clubs since the Euros, who knows how many will come after this tournament.’
Sir Geoff added: ‘And as a team, the Lionesses have plenty more chance at success.
More: Women’s World Cup 2023
‘It’s a young and exciting squad, they’ve done us proud and will continue to do so.’
Sir Geoff spoke to Metro alongside the National Lottery.
The National Lottery’s Women’s Euro Legacy New Team Grant now means £1million has been made available to set up new girls’ clubs or teams since the Euros win last summer.
So far, £200k has been issued to set up 170 new clubs / teams across the country.
Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
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