ENGLAND Women’s successful World Cup tournament has been proving inspirational in the city.

While the chairman of the Oxford Mail Girls Football League Chris Webb believes the women’s campaign will have a positive impact on the girls’ game back home, the Lionesses have also prompted Panini-sticker couple Alex and Sian Pratchett to get sketching the players – mirroring their work last year for the World Cup.

The women’s squad were knocked out at the semi-final stage of the 2015 tournament in Vancouver on Thursday night in the cruellest fashion.

Laura Basset’s stoppage time own-goal left England manager Mark Sampson and his team heartbroken.

Mr Webb said the team’s World Cup would stir interest in the sport. He added: “The fact that there has been a lot of coverage in the national press, in the local press and on TV means it has raised the profile of women’s football.

“The FA has a lot of contact with local clubs and we hope to see more new girls coming to our clubs, but also older players coming back to play.

“The team has really raised the profile of the women’s game. It’s really good.”

The Girls Football League – which is sponsored by the Oxford Mail – has eight leagues and about 800 players, with multiple teams from under 10s to under 16s.

Mr Webb said the quality of football played by the teams had improved over the years but the number of players joining had “plateaued”.

He added: “At one point we had more than 1,000 playing so hopefully we can get back to that. There are so many sports and sporting activities out there that it is a case of getting there first.”

Speaking to the Oxford Mail this week, Oxford United women’s captain Sahara Osborne-Ricketts said the Lionesses had changed the way the public viewed the game.

Meanwhile, the Pratchetts have been busily sketching the players at their home in Iffley Road – despite the late night match times.

The couple shot to global fame for drawing their own World Cup sticker book for the men’s tournament in 2014.

Mr Pratchett said: “We have paid a lot of attention to the women’s World Cup and we thought it would be quite good to do. We looked around for a full album but we couldn’t find one to do it like the men’s one.

“It was good; me and my wife stayed up to watch them. We will definitely do it again for the Euros next summer.”

Mr Pratchett added he and his wife had considered branching out to other sports with Wimbledon and the Ashes coming up.

He added: “Sian said when she went to school football wasn’t an option for girls. Hopefully with this World Cup that can change that.”