Women's Euros impact is massive - Fran Kirby

The Women's Euros have had a "massive" impact on the game's profile, Brighton & Hove Albion player Fran Kirby has said.

Speaking to the BBC 100 days from the start of the 2025 tournament, she said the last championship "really changed the game in this country".

Kirby, who was part of the England squad which won the title in 2022, said it was "a really important tournament to get that attraction back into women's football".

The Brighton midfielder said she had "really nice memories" of the competition and the manager had "put a lot of trust" in her.

Kirby, who joined Brighton in the summer from reigning Women's Super League champions Chelsea, said the league was "getting more exciting each year" but in tournaments you "get a chance to play on a bigger stage".

In the 2022 Euro championship, Kirby scored twice on the way to England's victory.

She said: "I hadn't played much football in the year leading into it so I wasn't really sure what my role was going to be, but Serena [Wiegman] put a lot of trust in me, she made me feel comfortable and she knew I was going to work hard for the team.

"It gave me massive confidence when I did step out on to the pitch because I knew she believed in me."

She said her personal highlight of the tournament was the semi-final against Sweden.

"We have always fallen short at semi-finals... so it was a huge sigh of relief but then at the same time [the realisation] we actually have to play the final," she said.

She has missed parts of the current season due to injury but said she still wanted to be part of the England team this summer.

"I've always been a player who wants to represent my country," she said.

"I've worked really hard in my rehabilitation to get myself in a place where I am strong and I am fitter.

"It's all about performing when you can and putting in the hard work to make sure you are available."

Meanwhile, she said, the Seagulls were learning and developing all the time and it was a "really nice atmosphere" at the club.

She added: "I knew it would take time to find my feet but I feel like I am getting into a flow, into a rhythm now."

She scored her fifth league goal of the season in a 3-2 defeat to Leicester City on Sunday.

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