The 77th edition of the SJA British Sports Awards – the longest-established awards of their kind in Britain – will take place on Tuesday, November 11, 2025; for the second consecutive year, the Awards will be announced live on Sky Sports News; SJA members voted to decide the big three prizes on offer; our SJA Academy members made their cases for the awards….
By ALICE JACKSON
Chloe Kelly lined up to take the spot kick that would crown England champions of Europe once again in front of a TV audience of 16.2 million – making it the UK’s most-watched moment of 2025.
The Lionesses had made history before they’d even won.
When they did win, they defied the odds. Spain, the pre-tournament favourites, were unbeaten in 10 games, and had defeated England at the last major tournament – the 2023 World Cup final in Sydney.
This year, England had led for less than five minutes across the knockout stage.
So when Spain went 1–0 up in the 25th minute, Sarina Wiegman’s squad looked as if they might go under.
But this is a team with grit etched into their shirts. A team whose most experienced player, Lucy Bronze, played the tournament through a fractured tibia.
Whose goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton, saved the final two penalties with a bloodied nose. This is a team that picked their mantra and stuck to it.
As they lifted the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 trophy to a sold-out St. Jakob-Park after beating Spain 3-1 on penalties, the Lionesses sparked a chain reaction that would transform the English football landscape.
The symmetry of 2022 and 2025 was uncanny: record-breaking crowds, the drama of extra time, a Kelly strike when it mattered most.
Yet victory in Basel brought with it two watershed firsts: an England team had finally won a major trophy on foreign soil, and in doing so became the first ever English side to defend their title.
Football had come home again. And when the Lionesses landed back on home soil, the scale of their impact was laid bare on the streets of London, where crowds of more than 50,000 fans gathered for the victory parade – compared to just 7,000 in 2022.
Lioness supremacy was also evident at the Ballon d’Or awards, where Wiegman was named coach of the year, and Hampton took home the Yashin Trophy.
Five of the England squad were named in the award’s top 10.
“The women’s game has grown so far,” said Wiegman in her acceptance speech.
That growth is clear in England’s domestic competition.
Aston Villa and Arsenal have recorded their highest-ever season ticket sales for the 2025/26 WSL season, minimum salaries across the top two leagues have been introduced, and brands are stepping up with sponsorship deals.
From professionals to young girls declaring their ambition to be the next Alessia Russo, the Lionesses have turned women’s football from a game into an expanding phenomenon.
Not only have they written their names into the history of football, but they have inspired the next generation to do the same.
Alice Jackson is a member of the SJA Academy for media professionals starting their careers. Click here to join.