Lioness Chloe Kelly says she'd 'love to see a woman host MOTD'

Lioness Chloe Kelly , 26, who scored the goal that secured England's first major tournament win since the 1966 World Cup, says she'd 'love' to see a female host at the helm of TV's biggest football show.

Speaking to MailOnline as a new photo of her last-gasp Euros winning goal celebration is unveiled at London 's National Portrait Gallery, to mark 30 years of National Lottery funding - including to grassroots football , the 26-year-old Man City star said it'd be great for young football fans to see a woman succeeding Gary Lineker on BBC One's Match of the Day.

Kelly, who wed her long-term boyfriend Scott Moore in July, said: 'Of course, I'd love to see a woman in that role. Gary Lineker has obviously done an amazing job for 26 years...but we'll see. It's anyone's game!'

TNT Sports presenter Reshmin Chowdhury has quietly emerged as a contender to succeed Lineker as host when he steps down in in 2026.

The 46-year-old presenter has admirers within the BBC and has commentated on major tournaments for the broadcaster - others names currently in the mix for the coveted job include MOTD2 frontman Mark Chapman and Kelly Somers.

Gabby Logan and Alex Scott are also understood to be in contention, while Roman Kemp could be involved as the BBC takes the show in a new direction.

This week sees a photo of Kelly's Euros-winning moment unveiled as part of 30 Game Changing Moments, a collection of photographs shot by Thomas Duke to mark £50billion raised for good causes in the UK by the National Lottery since funding began in 1994.

Sport is one of the area's that has seen the fruits of investment most - UK athletes have won more than 1,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals since 94, and Kelly attributes the moment she toe-poked England to glory in part down to such funding.

Growing up in Hanwell, West London, with five brothers and a sister, Kelly honed her craft in a football cage - and experienced first hand how investment in grassroots football makes a difference.

She said: 'I remember the National Lottery coming in with a big cheque to do up our facilities, and getting access to all-weather astroturf pitches because of funding. Football is all about grassroots so we have to support it at that level.'

'I used to jump on the 92 bus just to get to Wembley, even if that was just to buy a programme, not to even watch a game. The day of the Euros, my family still got that 92 bus to the game, just to have that journey.'

Kelly says she also recently got a chance to meet Bend it like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha as part of the Game Changing Moments exhibition.

Chadha says the 2002 film, which launched the career of Keira Knightley, would never have been made without National Lottery funding.

The Manchester City footballer says the film, set in Hounslow, offered representation of girls in football.

'Bend it like Beckham had a huge impact on me growing up, and it was great to meet Gurinder.

'We're from the same part of London so, yeah, it was nice to tell her how much that film meant to me as a kid.

'It was special to me because you see someone going through exactly what you're going through, breaking down barriers to get to where they want to be.'

Kelly says the film helped her believe that girls in football could achieve - and ignore the sexism that stood in her way.

She says: 'I've got five brothers, they would always include me in the football cage where we'd play.

'But then later, when I played for boy's teams at school, I'd hear them say "there's a girl" on the team - but then I got player of the tournament and that spurred me on to keep playing and keep trying.'

Kelly says the future of women's football is bright but there's still plenty more to do.

'We want an inclusive sport where everyone feels like they can be part of it, whether that's a fan in the stadium or a player, or a young girl growing up, the access that they are given should be the same as a boy - when you are given the opportunity, as we were, you can achieve something amazing. We have to keep pushing for more.'