Leah Williamson wants Arsenal to re-establish themselves at top of women’s game | OneFootball

Leah Williamson says winning the Champions League final later this month will help Arsenal reclaim their seat at the top table of the women’s game.

The Gunners take on Barcelona in the showpiece event in Lisbon on May 24, aiming to win their first European trophy since lifting the Women’s UEFA Cup in 2007.

Arsenal have traditionally been one of the strongest clubs, but they have recently been caught up and overtaken by other sides following the rapid development of the women’s game, especially on the domestic front.

But Williamson says her side should be dominating the final against defending champions Barca.

“It’s about going somewhere that we’ve never been before. It’s new territory in an Arsenal shirt for everybody in the team,” the England international told the PA news agency.

“So I think we’d be super proud of continuing the legacy in that Arsenal has always been up there in women’s football.

“It’s not enough for us just to be up there any more, we obviously want to win. We’ve always been up there and we’ve always been consistent in that.

“Speaking in the whole journey of women’s football, people always have had to chase Arsenal, and then it gets to a point where people catch up and they’re investing.

“And then it’s about how do you match that and move with the times, as well as being proud of what we were before?

“So I think Arsenal, as a name and as a club, they deserve to be dominating in any competition that they play in, but that obviously hasn’t been the case in recent years.”

Williamson is hoping success in Portugal is the start of a glorious summer where she will lead England, aiming to defend their crown, into Euro 2025.

The 27-year-old says Sarina Wiegman’s current crop of Lionesses are heading into the unknown.

“It’s a new England, it’s a new task,” the defender added.

“It’s the unknown again, which is very exciting, but I think we best believe everybody will be fired up and ready for the summer when it comes around.

“I don’t think we are favourites. I think there’s lots of different teams that could win it and have the potential of winning it.”

Williamson already knows just what winning the Euros can do for the women’s game in this country but she is determined to continue helping grow the sport off the pitch.

Having already initiated campaigns to drive female involvement at immersive football venue TOCA Social, where she is a stakeholder, Williamson has now launched a limited edition ice cream sundae, with £1 of every sale going to charity We Are Laces, a women’s football community.

Williamson said of her position as a role model: “I’ll always be authentic to myself. I think that I’d be doing a disservice to all the people who came before me if I didn’t take on that role.

“We always talk about the inclusivity of the game and I want to promote it from within. I want it to be as inclusive as possible, and We Are Laces are very good at that.

“There are a lot of women who are interested in trying to grow the game, and not everybody is a participant in terms of playing in the team.

“So TOCA Social is a great opportunity for them to express their interest in women’s football in this sort of social capacity.”

:: Leah Williamson’s Captain’s Choice ice cream sundae is available at all TOCA Social venues from May 8 and will be included in the Women’s Euros screening packages.