A trophy that any sports person would treasure on their mantlepiece, the Sports Personality of The Year Award is one of the greatest recognitions anyone can receive. England and Manchester City Women's Lucy Bronze, is one of the nominees in the list but faces stiff competition from the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Andy Murray, however here is why Bronze should and perhaps could pip everyone to the coveted award.

A first for woman's football

Next Sunday could prove to be a historic night for Women's football and a catalyst for the sport's success, as Lucy Bronze becomes the first ever female footballer to be nominated for the prestigious award with the Manchester City and England full-back fully deserving the nomination. If you need a measure of how far the Women's game has come and in such a short space of time look no further than the World Cup - which was such a success this past summer in Canada.

So with that in mind how could Bronze's nomination and potential win, affect the sport and what could it mean for its fortunes. Well for a start there is the attendance boost and interest in the sport growing at a fantastic rate, with particular mention to Bronze's domestic club Manchester City, now a fully integrated side to the Manchester City entity, who enjoyed a successful season clinching second place and with it a spot in next season's UEFA Women's Champions League as well as the Sky Blues also setting the record attendance last season for WSL match of 2,107. 

Bronze is mobbed by her teammates after scoring versus Norway (Source: The Telegraph)
Bronze is mobbed by her teammates after scoring versus Norway (Source: The Telegraph) 

A win for Bronze would be a testament to her fellow team-mates at the World Cup as well as herself - having played an integral role in an England squad that placed the best finish in an international tournament of any England team, regardless of gender, since the fabled side of 1966. Bronze chipping in with two goals, most notably a rasping longshot against Norway which had everybody raving about it, as well as netting what eventually turned out to be the winner in the quarter-finals against the hosts Canada. The TV numbers back up the growing interest too, with some 1.6million viewers tuning into the Lionesses' clashes despite them finishing in the early hours of the morning, a sign that the quality of football on display is worth the sleep lost and in addition the WSL receives regular air time with both BT Sport and ESPN televising the league games.

WSL beginning to thrive

Furthermore, the quality of venue and facilities is ever improving, none more so than at Manchester City. The Citizens have thrived since moving into the new CFA complex last November. With world-class fitness centres as well as the fantastic CFA stadium, a 7,000 capacity 'mini-stadium' that the women and the male youth teams share, a far cry from the days where the women would be expected to play in second-rate venues. 

The sexism, and gender inequality is still an underlying issue at times - but it is a much improved topical debate, than it was five or ten years prior. People are collectively beginning to realise, and embrace the fact that women - just like men - can play professional football at a high quality standard, on an ever-improving wage bill too. Each discriminatory remark is becoming increasingly farcical as the women have proven that they are just as able footballers as their male counterparts, perhaps some even more able than some. 

Bronze won't be the favourite on the night what with Andy Murray's Davis Cup victory and Lewis Hamilton's third World Championship to compete with, but the achievements of Lucy Bronze and the Lionesses this summer shouldn't be overlooked as they may not have won the tournament but they certainly made a huge step forward in advancing the profile of the sport and captivating the interest of the British public.

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