The England Lionesses have been named Team of the Year at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards after their huge success in European Championships this summer.
Sarina Wiegmann’s side defeated Germany in a thrilling final in front of 87,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium as England won their first major international title in 66 years.
In an important moment for women’s sport in the UK, England’s victory was also watched by a UK TV audience of 17 million, while the Lionesses were lauded for using their platform to demand equal access to sport for girls in schools.
England, led by captain Lea Williamson, finished the year by extending their unbeaten run to 26 matches under Wegman, clinching qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and defeating world champions the United States in front of another home crowd at Wembley. .
Wegman, who took charge of the England national team last September, won the Coach of the Year award, while striker Beth Mead won the Sports Personality of the Year award.
The Lionesses won the Team of the Year award against England’s Red Roses, who were defeated in the final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup by hosts New Zealand. Under the captaincy of Simon Middleton, England won the Six Nations title and won 30 matches in a row until they were defeated by the Black Ferns.
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