Martina Voss-Tecklenburg: 'We will only win if Euro 2022 is sustainable'
By Ali Rampling
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has urged football to capitalise on the momentum of Euro 2022 and not let the women's game fall by the wayside post-tournament.
Germany take on England in the Euro 2022 final in a sold out Wembley Stadium on Sunday, vying to win their ninth European title. Already, attendance for the record breaking tournament stands at 487,683 and is expected to exceed 570,000 in total at the final.
The game should set a new European Championship attendance record, concluding a tournament which has seen records tumble left, right and centre - but Voss-Tecklenburg insists Euro 2022 will only be a success if the game continues to grow in a sustainable way.
"We're not planning to lose," Voss-Tecklenburg said. "Of course it's a journey that we've had that seems extraordinary. On the way here Svenja [Huth] and I talked about the last eight weeks. We have had processes. Again we have grown and we want to continue on that.
"We have won a lot but I would like to add we will only win if we can end this in a sustainable way. Something has to continue. This has to be a chance for all the countries to make the next steps in women's football. If not now, when will it happen?"
When asked about the changes she would like to see in Germany specifically, Voss-Tecklenburg added: "We want more equality of talent, better stadiums, we want to get more spectators, we want more TV times, better kick off times, a more attractive league.
"We want to make the next steps and I hope the sport in general will have a bigger importance in schools and education and politics."
Germany have a 100% record at Euro 2022 thus far, but face an England side who have also won five from five to reach the final.
Voss-Tecklenburg insisted that while her young team will relish the enormity of the occasion, their approach would remain the same.
"Like all the other games so far we want to play our game, be courageous, aggressive, play as a team," she added. "This has worked very well so far. Playing against the host team in front of a fantastic crowd... we have a few young players who will play at Wembley and in a final for a first time.
"We can't tell yet how quickly we can embrace that. We've dreamt of this, to have a final against England at Wembley I don't know if there's a bigger sporting moment for our players. We want to stay present and embrace everything."
