I’ve said and I’ll keep saying it, if we have a successful Euros with the Lionesses and the Monday after girls still can’t play then what is it all for? All the campaigns, all the TV coverage and beautiful montages, but girls are still denied the option of playing our national sport. 

When you hear the stories and journeys of some of the biggest names in women’s football, there’s one thing that unites almost all of them: they had to go above and beyond just to play the game.

Lucy Bronze, a fearsome defender, a Fifa Best winner and a Ballon d’Or runner-up, played with boys growing up. Kelly Smith, one of England and Arsenal’s greatest players of all time, was kicked out of her local boys’ team for being too good. Rachel Yankey had a similar story, too good for the boys and not enough opportunities to play with girls.

Even Lauren Hemp, who is only 21 and heading towards being one of the best players in the world, played with a boys’ team in Norfolk before joining Bristol City and the Barclays Women’s Super League aged just 16.

Women at the top of the game have had to battle to find a team to play on, a space to play in or even a coach or teacher to believe in them. Those moments at school are still remembered by England’s finest. 

Bukayo Saka recently spoke about how his primary school in west London was where he first began to dream about becoming a footballer. The playground was where I learnt the names and moves of legendary players like Jimmy Greaves, who Mr Pigden loved. I can still hear him saying, “Don’t blast the ball Ian, finish like Jimmy Greaves! Give the goalkeeper no chance”.

I know it’s not going to happen overnight, but we have a responsibility to this generation of girls not to fail them like we failed previous generations. The future stars of the Barclays WSL and the England women’s team are out there in the playgrounds, the school pitches, and they’re ready to play. We need to let them play.

Today the FA and Barclays are hosting the Biggest Ever Football Session nationwide, with more than 70,000 girls taking part, to try and get as many girls as possible in school all playing football on the same day. This is an important moment, for all the growth in women’s football, getting girls equal access to our national game is our single biggest responsibility.

If you want to give girls equal access to football, you can sign up to receive free training and resources and support delivering girls’ football in schools. Go to www.girlsfootballinschools.org/

Ian Wright is a Barclays Football Ambassador.