JUST a few years after a Geoff Hurst hat-trick sealed England’s only World Cup glory to date in 1966, the women’s FA was set up following a surge in interest in the beautiful game, writes Jamie Rooke.

Hope Powell was appointed as England’s first ever full-time national coach in 1998 with the former vice-captain being a part of the inaugural World Cup side in ’95.

The Lionesses’ Euro 2001 opener was attended by just over 1,000 people, in which they played out a 1-1 draw with Russia.

Fast forward to last year where nearly 80,000 people packed into Wembley to watch England clash with the Germans.

During Jill Ellis’ tenure, the USWNT were dominant and that continued earlier this year in the She Believes Cup as Phil Neville’s side failed to defend their title, allowing Vlatko Andonovski to pick up where his predecessor left off.

Nevertheless, the production line doesn’t stop there with a local talent of our own prepared to push for a place in the former Man United star’s squad after she broke on the scene at Bristol City last year.

Georgia Wilson grew up in a footballing household in Newton Abbot and went on to make eight appearances for the Robins in the WSL this season before the coronavirus hiatus.

Back in September, the 18-year-old got her first of what will surely be many appearances, and it came against the club she follows with her dad and brothers – Everton.

She described this as ‘the best moment of [her] career so far’, because not only was she able to play in the WSL, but she also got to play against the team she grew up supporting.

She ended the year on another high, too, as a 5-2 League Cup win in December over Charlton bore fruit in the form of her first goal for Bristol.

Georgia has made a start in football but she expressed to me how this was only just the beginning.

She said: ‘Going forward I want to play regularly for Bristol City and push to earn my place in the England setup.’

Many great players have their careers hindered or even ruined by injuries, England and Arsenal’s Jordan Nobbs is a prime example after the midfielder missed last year’s World Cup in France following a ruptured ACL that she sustained in a 4-0 win over Everton.

The same can sadly be said for Wilson, who picked up an injury earlier in the season.

She looks to have come out of the other side of it, but that isn’t without any struggles on the way.

A grade two ankle sprain that also damaged the joint inflicted against Man United after a fairly innocuous challenge saw her sidelined for a few months – this being the first major injury of her career.

‘Mentally, my injury has been really challenging especially at the start,’ she said.

‘I feel my team and the club have helped me stay motivated and keep going as a few of the girls are going through the same as me.’

This suggests that the club boasts team unity which is crucial when in a relegation battle!

A key game in this fight for survival went the way of Tanya Oxtoby’s side thanks to young superstar Ebony Salmon scoring the only goal at Damson Park that afternoon.

Only one side are traditionally relegated from the WSL into the second tier of women’s football, so this victory over fellow strugglers Birmingham City was so much more valuable than three points suggests – leaving Liverpool or Birmingham likely to finish bottom.

The aforementioned Nobbs has some similarities with Wilson, and that shone through when I asked the latter about the toughest players she has come toe-to-toe with.

‘The best player I have played against has to be either Jordan Nobb,s who I actually had to mark, or Vivianne Miedema.’

Nobbs has made more than 100 appearances for Arsenal, while Dutch forward Miedema leads the scoring charts and is a crucial part of Joe Montemurro’s Gunners side.

The duo are part of an amazing set up at Meadow Park under the Australian’s stewardship with names like Leah Williamson and Lisa Evans being well-known on the biggest stages.

Wilson certainly has an admiration for the Sunderland youth product, and given that they both occupy the same position, let’s hope that her illustrious career can be superseded by the youngster.

‘Personally I look up to Jordan Nobbs,’ Wilson explained.

‘After playing against her she was unbelievable and she is definitely someone who I’d aspire to be like.’

Meanwhile, the best player that Georgia has gone into battle alongside ‘has to be Olivia Chance who plays in the centre of midfield’ with her.

‘She came from Everton and plays for New Zealand,’ Wilson said, meaning the two both have links to the Toffees.

Chance competed in last year’s World Cup, but it was a disappointing campaign for the Kiwis who propped up Group E below Canada, Cameroon and eventual runners-up Netherlands.

Wilson spoke of her desire to represent her country one day, and there is no bigger stage to do so on than the World Cup. Let’s hope the endeavour is rewarded.

As previously mentioned, the growth in the women’s game over the last couple of decades has been nothing short of incredible and it certainly looks set to continue on that trajectory.

The prevalence of some of the world’s biggest stars such as Australia’s Sam Kerr, who plays for Chelsea, and Miedema coming to England can only help to continue the deserved rise of the WSL.

‘I am lucky to be part of the generation that has witnessed the huge growth within the game, especially in the WSL. It is good to see an increase of attendance to our games,’ Wilson said.

Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea are all vying for top spot in the league, with Emma Hayes’ Blues yet to suffer a defeat.

At the other end of the table, Georgia’s Bristol currently occupy 10th spot with Birmingham and Liverpool below them, both fighting to avoid the drop.

All leagues in women’s football below the WSL, along with those outside of the EFL on the men’s side of things, have made the 19/20 season null and void while we wait for a final decision on the rest.

The Robins look likely to remain in the top flight right now, so if the WSL is to follow suit, it would almost cancel out their battle to stay away from the bottom spot.

But, of course, football has to take a backseat in times like these.

Some may struggle to keep on the straight and narrow in the absence of our beloved game but that is not the case for Georgia

‘I haven’t struggled to stay motivated as [football] is what keeps me happy,’ she said.

‘During this break from football, we are obviously all limited to what we can do but I am back running and completing circuits to keep myself fit.’

She clearly seems raring to go and ready to mark her return to regular action with a bang.

Mark Sampson disgraced the game during his time at the helm of the national team. He was fired following allegations of racism made by Eni Aluko and Drew Spence, which were later supported by an independent investigation.

Luckily, there have been many to help the growth of the game as opposed to hindering it.

Some of the notable trailblazers in the women’s game include long-time national team manager Powell, Faye White, Kelly Smith and Fara Williams, who holds the Lionesses’ record for most caps at a phenomenal 170.

Another such name is Mo Marley MBE, who played her whole career at Everton, the side Wilson grew up supporting.

Following the conclusion to her playing career in 2002, she managed Everton for a decade and had an interim period with the Lionesses before undergoing her current role as England U21s manager.

She was awarded an MBE for her services to women’s football on Merseyside in 2005 and it is not hard to see why with players past and present singing her praises to no end.

These sentiments were shared by Wilson, who said: ‘I’m sure Mo Marley has been an inspiration to most girls. She played for Everton and even captained the national team.

‘Her journey is inspirational to me and I would love to follow in her footsteps. She is the head coach of my age group at England and we have spoken recently about future plans.’

Stay tuned to see where this leads for the talented youngster after this pandemic is all over, because the future is certainly bright for our local star…