European champions tell PM hopefuls 'we see this as only the beginning'

England's European Championship winning squad has penned an open letter to Conservative MP's Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, who are seeking the position of prime minister in the United Kingdom.

Sunak and Truss, the last two standing in the battle to become Britain's next leader and successor to Boris Johnson, have been urged by England's Lionesses to increase access to football for young girls across the country.

England's 2-1 extra-time win at Wembley against Germany was the nation's first international honour since the men won the World Cup in 1966. Throughout the tournament, England's players spoke at length about the impact they wanted their success to have on young girls and women across the country – and have made it clear their title triumph is merely the start of the journey.

"Throughout the Euros, we as a team spoke about our legacy and goal to inspire a nation. Many will think that this has already been achieved, but we see this as only the beginning," the open letter read. "We are looking to the future. We want to create real change in this country and we are asking you, if you were to become Prime Minister on September 5, to help us achieve that change".

"Girls have access to a minimum of two hours a week PE. Not only should we be offering football to all girls, we also need to invest in and support female PE teachers too. Their role is crucial and we need to give them the resources to provide girls' football sessions. They are key role models from which so many young girls can flourish."

The rise of the women's game has been significant since the 2019 World Cup, where England reached the semi-finals in France, led to increased attention – but there are still major areas for improvement. The Lionesses' squad is keen to capitalise on their success to push through these changes, declaring: "This is an opportunity to make a huge difference. A change that will impact millions of young girls' lives."