Cliff Notes – 7 films celebrating women in sport after the Lionesses win Euro 2025
- The Lionesses’ victory in Euro 2025 marks England’s first major trophy win on foreign soil, highlighting the growing prominence of women’s sports.
- This achievement serves as an inspiration for younger generations, emphasising the importance of female representation in athletics.
- A selection of films celebrating women in sports, such as Bend It Like Beckham and Million Dollar Baby, showcases the diverse narratives and achievements of female athletes.
7 films celebrating women in sport after the Lionesses win Euro 2025
It’s an incredible time for women in sports. England is celebrating after the Lionesses brought home the Euro 2025 cup following a nail-biting final against Spain.
In a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final, the Lionesses avenged that heartbreaking defeat in Sydney two years ago by clawing back the win during penalties.
After a nervy 120 minutes, Hannah Hampton was the hero in the shootout, saving three penalties, giving Chloe Kelly the chance to score the winning spot-kick.
It marks the first time an England team has won a major trophy on foreign soil, so naturally, fans of the sport are over the moon.
Women’s sporting achievements are often overshadowed in the public eye, with the Lionesses’ win shining a light on their importance for younger generations dipping their toes into sports.
Get personalised updates on all things Netflix
Various films across the decades have celebrated women in sports, whether that be football, boxing, cricket, or more obscure activities.
Following the Lionesses’ Euro win, dive into these seven flicks available to stream and rent right now, highlighting incredible sportswomen both fictional and in real life.
Bend It Like Beckham
Where to watch: ITVX and Disney Plus
Is there a more perfect film to celebrate the England women’s football team than Bend It Like Beckham? And what’s more, we’ll have a sequel to enjoy soon, too.
Released in 2002, Bend It Like Beckham starred Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra and is credited with inspiring a generation of girls to take up football.
Its plot follows Jesminder Bhamra (Nagra), who dreams of a career in professional footie. However, her Sikh parents want her to study for a law degree and get married.
She meets Jules Paxton (Knightley), a white female striker who invites Jess to join the local women’s team.
Whip It
Where to watch: Available to rent on Apple TV
Despite being financially unsuccessful, Whip It gained a cult following while also highlighting the incredible sport of roller derby to the masses.
Directed by Drew Barrymore and based on Shauna Cross’ 2007 novel Derby Girl, it follows Texas teen Bliss Cavendar (Elliot Page), who is falling out of love with the beauty pageant world.
She attends a roller derby match between the Holy Rollers and the Hurl Scouts and falls in love with the sport, joining the latter behind her parents’ backs.
Girlfight
Where to watch: Available to rent and buy on Prime Video
Fight like a girl with Girlfight, directed by Karyn Kusama, who wrote the screenplay after learning the sport herself.
Starring Michelle Rodriguez in her film debut, it follows a troubled Brooklyn high school student, Diana Guzman (Rodriguez), who regularly finds herself in trouble at school.
She channels her aggression into becoming a boxer, despite the disapproval of her father (Paul Calderón) and her competitors in the male-dominated sport.
A League of Their Own
Where to watch: Available to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store
Starring Madonna, Geena Davis, and Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own is a sports comedy with real heart.
Set during World War II, sisters Dottie (Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty) are drafted into an all-women’s baseball league.
They are led by Jimmy Dugan (Hanks), an alcoholic former star who struggles to manage the team and coach them to victory.
Nyad
Where to watch: Netflix
Nyad is based on the real-life record-breaking American sports figure Diana Nyad, and was a box office and critical success at the time of its release.
Nyad sees four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening play swimmer Nyad, who, with support from her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster), starts training at the age of 60 to finally attempt achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.
It co-stars Rhys Ifans as Nyad’s chief navigator on her quest, John Bartlett, as well as Anna Harriette Pittman as the young version of Diana, Erica Cho, Luke Cosgrove, Eric T. Miller, and Garland Scott.
Stick It
Where to watch: Available to rent on Prime Video and the Sky Store
Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, and Vanessa Lengies star in the 2006 sports comedy Stick It from Bring It On writer Jessica Bendinger.
It follows Haley (Peregrym), a gifted athlete who, after her final brush with the law, is sentenced by a judge to join an elite gymnastics academy.
Under the tutelage of legendary coach Burt Vickerman (Bridges), she harnesses her natural ability for the sport while her rebellious attitude wins both friends and enemies alike.
Million Dollar Baby
Where to watch: Available to rent and buy on Prime Video
The Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby is one of the most influential sports films of modern times, often being cited as one of the greatest films of the 21st century.
Starring Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman, it follows cantankerous boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), who agrees to train Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank), a waitress and aspiring boxer.
Maggie fights her way through the amateur tournaments, earning herself a reputation for quick knockouts, but she must battle with her self-doubt, her underappreciative coach, and the disapproval of her parents to achieve victory.
Comment now
Which of these films will you be adding to your watchlist?
