Why the Lionesses’ Euros Win Deserves More Than Comparison

When Winning Still Isn’t Enough: Lionesses’ Euros Win

The Lionesses just won the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025. Again. And yet, beneath the joy and celebration, there’s that tired echo online and in the press...the comparisons.

Was it as good as the men’s game? Would they beat a League Two side? How big were the crowds, really?

It’s exhausting. It misses the point. And detracts the focus away from the lionesses’ euros win.

At ACSIS Life Coaching, we often work with people navigating identity, pressure, and public expectation. This moment with the Lionesses feels familiar. When success isn’t judged by what you’ve done, but by how you stack up against someone else’s version of what matters.

Why Do We Keep Comparing Apples to Oak Trees?

Women’s football is not a replica of the men’s game. It’s its own sport. Its own rhythm. Its own history. And it’s growing; in skill, visibility and global support.

But many critics still use male standards as the benchmark. Power. Pace. Stadium size. Broadcast numbers.

Imagine if we judged all things this way. Should a violin solo be compared to a drumline? Do we measure the value of a memoir by how many explosions are in it?

The comparison trap is not just unhelpful. It’s limiting.

What This Teaches Us About Identity and Worth

For many of us, veterans, neurodivergent individuals, and people starting over, life can feel like a constant comparison game. Are you working hard enough? Strong enough? Are you doing life the “normal” way?

However, the truth is that different doesn’t mean less.

The Lionesses have built something powerful. Not in imitation of the men’s game, but as a movement in its own right. Community. Joy. Skill. Grit. That deserves its own spotlight, not borrowed light.

We believe this is how we grow: by seeing difference as strength, not something to justify.

Both Can Be Brilliant. Full Stop.

This isn’t a case of either-or.

Men’s football has its own cultural weight. So does women’s. Both bring people together. Both require talent, coaching, resilience and relentless effort.

Applauding the Lionesses does not diminish the men’s team. And defending the men’s game shouldn’t come at the expense of women who are changing the future of football.

There is room on the pitch for more than one kind of excellence.

A Coaching Lens: Letting People Stand on Their Own Ground

We often ask clients, “What are you measuring yourself against and who chose that scale?”

This moment with the Lionesses reminds us of the power of naming your own metrics. Pride. Teamwork. Social impact. Personal growth. The quiet triumph of showing up, again and again.

Maybe this is the invitation we all need. To stop chasing someone else’s scoreboard. To stand in our own version of victory, even when critics don’t get it.

Because real leadership isn’t about beating the other side. It’s about showing who you are when the final whistle blows.

Growth that carries you where you want to go. 

If you’re tired of comparison games in your own life, you’re not alone.

ACSIS Life Coaching helps veterans, neurodivergent individuals and everyday people step into their own strengths...not someone else’s standards.

Book your free discovery session today.

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