International Women's Day: Lucozade move into women's football, becoming sponsor of Lionesses

England's women won the SheBelieves Cup in America last week and are one of the World Cup favourites

The Lionesses have a new sponsor (Getty Images)

The Lionesses secured a victory on the field last week, winning the SheBelieves Cup, and now they're securing evermore victories off it with an influx of sponsors beginning to appear.

Lucozade Sport have become the latest brand to associate themselves with England's women's team, their first venture into the women's game.

“Lucozade has huge footballing heritage so it feels like a big moment to know that the Lionesses will be joining that history. Having such an iconic brand supporting women’s football is proof of just how popular the sport has become," said Steph Houghton OBE, captain of the Lionesses.

Claire Keaveny, Lucozade's head of marketing said: “Lucozade Sport has a long history of supporting football and we’re really proud to be signing a partnership with The FA to extend our support to England women and backing the Lionesses. We hope our support not only hydrates the Lionesses ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019, but the investment also plays its part in inspiring a whole generation of people to move.”

Houghton spoke to the media to mark International Women's Day and says the thought of being an inspiration to young girls is very much part of her drive for success with club and country.

The 30-year-old defender has achieved a huge amount up to this point, with her CV featuring a multitude of trophies won with Arsenal and City, plus third place with England at the 2015 World Cup.

And the future looks bright both in terms of Houghton adding to that and the profile of English women's football continuing to grow.

City, who lifted the League Cup last month and are chasing a domestic treble this term, could face derby rivals Manchester United in an increasingly competitive-looking Women's Super League next season.

Certainly, Houghton is in a position to inspire, and being a role model is something the Durham-born centre-back is passionate about.

When asked if knowing she can inspire young girls is an important element of her drive for success, Houghton told Press Association Sport: "Yes.

"My role models were Kevin Phillips and David Beckham and, for me, now girls can look up to female footballers and want to aspire to be them, and try to follow in their footsteps and even be better than us."