Captain Leah Williamson said her England team had “changed the game in this country” as she celebrated their historic Euro 2022 win.
They lifted the trophy and sang Sweet Caroline in front of thousands of fans in Trafalgar Square on Monday.
“We said we wanted to leave our legacy on winning and that’s what we did,” Williamson said.
“The legacy of the tournament was already made before the last game – what we have done for young women and girls who can look up and aspire to be us.
“I think England have hosted an incredible tournament and we’ve changed the game in this country, and hopefully in Europe and around the world.”
The Football Association is now set to hold talks with manager Sarina Wiegman to extend her England contract following Sunday’s success.
Dutch Wiegman, whose deal with England runs until 2025, has now won back-to-back European Women’s Championships, after guiding the Netherlands to the title in 2017.
“She will have a couple of weeks off. When she comes back we will have a conversation,” said Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s head of women’s football.
“It will be like rocket fuel”
On the legacy of England’s Euro 2022 triumph, FA president Debbie Hewitt said: “We need to get girls across the country playing football in schools.
“Once they get that opportunity, all of them, to play in the schools and associate them with the clubs, then you’re going to see that take off. It’s going to be like rocket fuel, the impact of winning.”
Hewitt said the Premier League could play its part in supporting the legacy of Euro 2022 by continuing to invest in the women’s game.
He said: “Last night we had over 17 million viewers watching this game in this country. If you’re the Premier League. Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that?”
England midfielder Fran Kirby has said he wants Euro 2022 success to “become normal”.
“We want people to come and see it, and with sold-out crowds in this country and around the world, so hopefully we’ve played a big part in that and hopefully we can continue to grow,” Kirby said.
Ella Toone, who scored England’s first goal in the final, added: “That’s what we’ve set out to do in this tournament – make the nation proud, fight for women and get girls involved too, and I think we’ve done it for all the women in this world.”
“There will be expectations, but we have an incredible team”
With less than a year to go until the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, expectations will be high for the new European champions.
“I think we should take time to reflect on this first, enjoy it before we start thinking about it [World Cup]Kirby said.
“Of course there’s going to be a lot of expectations with that, but we’ve got an amazing team, we’ve got an amazing coach, so yeah, we’re really excited.”
Defender Lucy Bronze said she was looking forward to the England team getting a star on their badge, which comes with a World Cup win.
She said: “The Euros are great, especially in our country, but there is a little star missing from the minute shield on the England shirt. This is definitely a mission for us to get that star.” .
Germany receives a warm welcome in Frankfurt
Thousands of fans welcomed beaten finalists Germany to Romerplatz in Frankfurt on Monday.
Coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and her team addressed the supporters at Frankfurt City Hall.
Germany have an incredible record at the Women’s European Championship, winning it eight times in total, most recently in 2013.
Forward Alexandra Popp (centre) and coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (right) climbed onto the balcony of Frankfurt’s city hall along with the rest of the German national team.