Harrogate pays tribute to Lioness Rachel Daly after heartbreak in final of FIFA Women’s World Cup

England lost 1-0 to Spain in their first Women’s World Cup final as Olga Carmona’s first-half goal proved enough to break the hearts of a nation.

It was the first time the England men’s or women’s team had reached a football World Cup final since 1966 and the country came to a halt for the historic occasion which saw fans come together to support the Lionesses in Sydney.

Rachel Daly, who started her career at Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club and was a student at Rossett School, played a huge part in the run to the final, featuring in every single game for the Lionesses.

A peak audience of 12 million watched the match on the BBC, making it the second-most watched event of the year after the Coronation of King Charles III in May.

Hundreds of people across Harrogate headed to the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel to watch the match, organised by Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club.

Mary Beggs-Reid, social media officer at Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club, says that the club and town are "immensely proud" of their homegrown talent.

She said: “We are absolutely bursting with pride as a club.

"The result doesn't matter, although it would have been nice, but what Rachel and the Lionesses have done for women's football is outstanding.

"They have paved a path for all young girls with a football dream.

"We have seen a huge increase in the amount of girls who have been wanting to come and play football since the Euros, so we are excited to see even more of them coming to the club following the World Cup."

In March, The Nomads Daly Brew Café was opened on Killinghall Moor Community Park, the home of Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club, to honour Rachel following the Lionesses' Euro 2020 win.

Mary believes that the Lionesses should be commemorated for their achievements over the last 12 months and that Harrogate should also do something to honour Rachel.

She said: “I would like to see all of the Lionesses included on the King’s honours list as they are a team and so should all be recognised.

"I believe that Harrogate should acknowledge Rachel's achievements as we are surprised that nothing has been done already.

"We have suggested naming the new Harrogate Hydro after her as it has not opened yet or we would like to see something equally as big.

“It would also be great if we could name the small lane off Barberry Close which leads to Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club ‘Daly Way’.”

Messages of support for the Lionesses have been flooding in from residents across the Harrogate district.

Duncan Sales said: “They may have fallen at the final hurdle but they did us proud.

"The most important thing is what a benchmark they have set for all the young girls out there to show them that they can achieve anything if they set their minds to it.”

The Lionesses have started their long journey back home and their attention will now turn to the Women's Nations League competition as they aim to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.