As a double-EURO-winning Lioness, Alessia Russo is used to having all eyes on her.
She dragged England again into the match final night time after scoring an equaliser about an hour in, taking the match to penalties which the Lionesses finally received.
At the same time as a woman, enjoying at her native soccer membership, she caught the eye of coaches and fogeys alike.
‘We used to look at her play, it was a bit uncommon to have a woman enjoying in a boy’s workforce,’ Jamie Stevens, first workforce supervisor at Bearsted FC, informed Metro.
‘Once I was working our youthful youngsters’ groups, Alessia was once enjoying on the pitch subsequent to us.
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‘Everybody used to face and watch, as a result of she stood out, even at that younger age.
‘That at all times stands out, if you’re watching somebody rating targets nigh on each single recreation they play.’
Bearsted FC is among the many dozens of colleges and soccer golf equipment up and down the nation celebrating the success of the Lionesses – and their former pupils.
The workforce received after a penalty shootout within the Euro 2025 last towards Spain on Sunday night, finally ending 3-1 to England.
The match was England’s first main trophy win overseas, after the Lionesses received Euro 2022 at house, and payback after England had been defeated by Spain within the Ladies’s World Cup last in 2023.
Describing Alessia’s rise to success, Jamie informed Metro: ‘It’s implausible. It doesn’t shock us with how she was when she was youthful and the way she’s gone by means of the age teams, it isn’t a shock she’s executed so effectively.
‘She’s such a pleasant, humble individual. She’s obtained an important grounding from her household.
‘It’s been implausible to look at, and watching her rating the objective within the match on Sunday capped it off actually.’
Different colleges and groups have been congratulating their former pupils who helped to carry the trophy for the Lionesses final night time.
Duchess’s Neighborhood Excessive Faculty celebrated its former pupil Lucy Bronze, saying: ‘Large congratulations to Lucy Bronze on not solely profitable the Euros immediately however for being an inspiration to women world wide.
‘Her tenacity and bravado immediately meant that England lifted the trophy! Effectively executed ‘wor Lucy.’
A vital member of the workforce all through the event, even revealing she had performed with a damaged tibia, Lucy started her profession within the north east.
She first performed for Alnwick City Juniors, the place the membership now have an award for essentially the most excellent feminine participant every season named after her.
Mick Keane, 63, membership secretary and supervisor of the underneath 14s women membership informed Metro: ‘I feel Lucy has already been inspiring the following technology, and can proceed to take action.
‘I feel the purpose now for lots of the women enjoying is seeing a neighborhood woman get to that heights that she has. Successful two Euros and attending to a World Cup last, I feel it’s extra tangible than the boys’s recreation.
‘I feel they’re all simply regular women, with regular backgrounds, who’ve gone on to attain wonderful issues. They’re all an inspiration to all of the younger women on the market desirous to play soccer.
‘She’s an absolute celebrity and a fighter, and enjoying with an harm for the entire event sums up how a lot it meant to her.’
Mick added: ‘She got here right here to current the Lucy Bronze award to a woman on my workforce this 12 months who received it and she or he was made up.
‘I feel it’s a trait of the entire women that they’re so all the way down to earth that it’s what makes them even larger position fashions.
‘We’re all simply immensely happy with her and we’ll simply maintain supporting her as a lot as we are able to.’
Upton Corridor Faculty shared a touching tribute to Niamh Charles, saying: ‘Congratulations to Niamh who’s the epitome of an Upton woman #excellence #companionship #dignity #hope’
Brandon Groves Soccer Membership, which coached Michelle Agyemang, has congratulated her after she was named Younger Participant of the Event on the 2025 EUROs.
Michelle performed for the boy’s workforce on the membership in Ockendon – however following her EUROs success she’s set a pattern amongst the woman’s membership there, with younger gamers emulating her rolled-down socks and small shin pads.
Lecturers and coaches have shared their former pupils’ star high quality over time, proving the Lionesses have had loads of perception and assist of their skills – which has all been realised as they lifted the EUROs cup for the second time.
Jo Inexperienced, head of PE at Leah Williamson’s former college Ousedale Faculty, informed The Commonplace beforehand: ‘We’re exceptionally happy with Leah. It’s no shock that she has gone on to attain what she has so early in her profession.
‘Leah was at all times a really type, considerate and hard-working individual in every part she did and we knew that Leah was destined to achieve success.
‘We’re certain she is going to proceed on to even better successes.’
Dean Brandrick is a coach for Warwick Juniors the place Jess Carter first began her soccer profession and ‘stood out immediately’ aged six.
He informed the BBC: ‘She simply shone, she needed to play towards the standard gamers of West Bromwich Albion, and Coventry Metropolis FC and was very good.
‘On the finish of her profession with us she received the county cup, she was simply above anyone at the moment.’
And Chloe Kelly’s first coach at QPR, Steve Quashie, recalled how Chloe would ‘showboat’ and embarrass different gamers along with her expertise.
‘Different boys who performed within the space had been saying: “This child’s unbelievable, she’s nutmegging me and doing rainbow flicks and I can’t get the ball off her!”,’ he informed The Occasions.
‘Being along with her older brothers within the cages, getting roughed up a bit bit, confirmed her that she may compete with larger gamers. There’s simply no concern in her.’
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