A Good Day for Sport and Autism

Lucy Bronze and Jonathan Vaughters

Lucy Bronze, a player on the England Women’s Football team (the Lionesses), is autistic. She was diagnosed with autism and ADHD in 2021, but she and her mother had suspected it for a long time.

I have a dilemma this afternoon, Sunday, 27th July 2025: what should I watch? The Lionesses are playing in the Women’s UEFA Euro final at 5 pm UK time, and the Tour de France final is today, starting at 3:15 pm and ending around 6:30 pm UK time. This means I will miss the first half of the football and part of the second half. I guess I’ll need to use multiple screens.

Harry Sweeny is the only autistic cyclist who is out about having autism in the race, but Jonathan Vaughters, the CEO of the EF Education-EasyPost team, which includes Sweeny, was diagnosed with autism later in life, sees it as a “superpower” that aids his focus on tasks.

 It’s worth noting that autism is a spectrum, and individuals experience it in different ways. Some athletes may not publicly disclose their diagnosis, and it’s not always a prominent part of their public persona. 

Lucy Bronze has an impressive resume, including a Euro win, a World Cup final appearance, five Champions League titles with Lyon and Chelsea, and an MBE. Good luck to her and the team. [Edit to add: And another Euro win. Well done, Lucy and the rest of the England team.]

---

This post takes the place of my usual first Monday of the month post, which would have been on 4th August.