MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - England's Football Association said on Wednesday it would bid to host UEFA's European Women's Championship in 2021.
England reached the semi-finals of this year's tournament, won by hosts the Netherlands, and say they will officially join the bidding later this year.
"The Lionesses’ performances at the Euros this summer gave the country great pride," said Martin Glenn, the FA's chief executive officer. "It also showed the significant impact that hosting a major European tournament can have on growing and developing women’s football
"The KNVB (Dutch FA) and UEFA really raised the bar, hosting a fantastic tournament, and we hope and believe we could meet those standards."
Women's football is growing in popularity in England - the FA said that last week's semi between England and the Netherlands attracted a peak audience of 4 million television viewers in the UK.
(Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Larry King)
