It's been a pretty rewarding decade to watch the growth of women's football in the UK, but 2022 was where it all came together. The Lionesses took over the country for a full month as the European Championships came to England for the first time since 2005, and they lived up to the hype with a run to the final, in front of 90,000 people at Wembley. Then – bucking the trend of England men's and women's teams since 1966 – they actually won. Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and co. are all household names now, and they've earned it.
- Chris Deeley
FanSided Sports Director
Best fan moment of the year
Could it be anything other than England winning their first ever major tournament in front of a sell-out home crowd at Wembley? Chloe Kelly off the bench to score the winner, swinging her shirt around her head to bring football home for the first time since 1966? Unforgettable.
What emotion defined this fandom this year?
Only one? Excitement, nervousness, terror, unbridled joy – and that was just the last 15 minutes of the Euros final. Above all though, it was that kind of nervous, hopeful excitement you get when you want to believe something but you've been burned before and you don't quite dare go all in. There's probably a German word for it.