An eight-year-old football fan who received a ticket to the European Championship final said he was “very lucky” after seeing the Lionesses “inspire many young girls” across the country.
An eager goalkeeper for her local team, Evie Jackson, and her father, Matt, 30, have eagerly followed the tournament after making trips to Leeds United’s Elland Road and St George’s Park to see England play.
Mr Jackson appealed to Twitter to find tickets for the expected final against Germany at Wembley on Sunday, saying he had almost given up hope when a stranger contacted him to offer him two free tickets.
“I’m really lucky and I didn’t know what happened because I thought it would be fake,” Evie, who lives with her father in Leigh, near Manchester, told PA news agency.
“I was so excited when I heard that we had the tickets, I cried because I thought we wouldn’t be able to go.
“I think they set up women’s football and it’s crazy to see how far women’s football has come.
“It also inspires a lot of young girls who may want to play football but may not feel confident now that they have a chance.”
Mr. Jackson, an operations manager at a bank, coaches Evie’s Astley & Tyldesley under-10’s team.
He admitted he was skeptical at first about “something that sounds too good to be true”.
“Why would anyone do that?” he said.
“As soon as we answered the phone, he said, ‘Send me your email address and I’ll transfer the tickets via the app’. And within minutes they were there.
“They were also Category 1 tickets, which are the most expensive you can get. Even now I pinch myself like, did that really happen?”
I don’t think there’s anything bigger than watching your heroes in a final at Wembley
Photos posted by Mr. Jackson on Twitter show the user telling the father of two, “Your kid looks super excited too. I have an adult and kid ticket. You can have them for free.”
Jackson said he was “pretty overwhelmed” by the man’s generosity, who he says sold football tickets a few years ago and made money “didn’t really make him feel fulfilled.”
“For a man you’ve never met before to give you tickets, for hundreds, maybe thousands online, some of the best tickets you can probably get, I’m just really humbled and my daughter is absolutely over the moon,” he said.
“It’s clearly more for Evie and the experience I know she will have.”
Jackson said that Evie “screamed with excitement” when she found out the two were going to make the game.
“I had already let her down that day and said, ‘Look, I’ve done everything I can, I tried my best, I’m really sorry, but it’s just not possible,'” he said.
“(When she showed her the tickets), she thought I was lying to her because you know how smart kids are these days. I showed her the pictures and she said ‘that could be a screenshot of anything, Dad’.
“And then she just jumps to the floor and almost bursts into tears, screaming with excitement.
“I don’t think it really dawned on her yet, she’s never been to Wembley.
“Walking around Wembley, I think there’s nothing bigger in football than watching your heroes in a final at Wembley.”
The act of kindness has “restored faith in humanity” for Mr. Jackson, who said the tournament had a huge effect on Evie’s team and their enjoyment of the sport.
“All the girls who were in training last night are just so excited. They all watch the games, they all want to know who we’re playing against, they all talk about who their favorite players are,” he said.
“I’d probably say a few years ago you wouldn’t even know who the players are, but they’ve become household names more or less overnight.”
“When people say, ‘Look, I can’t get a ticket to a women’s national competition right now,’ just shows how far the sport has probably come in even the last three weeks.”
Evie added that she is particularly excited to see one of her favorite players, Ella Toone, who played for Evie’s team as a young girl.
She and her father have booked a hotel for Sunday and are confident that the Lionesses will prevail.
“2-1 against England,” predicted Evie.