Latest news with #Lioness
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Wembley ballgirl to Lionesses' young cub - Meet England's one to watch at Euros
At 19-years-old Michelle Agyemang is the youngest player in Sarina Wiegman's squad for the Women's Euros - but her coaches and teammates know exactly what this trusted wild card can do From Wembley ball girl to Lioness cub, Michelle Agyemang is England's youngest player and undoubtedly the one to watch this tournament. Born in Southend, Essex, football was an inevitable path for the 19-year-old, who grew up in a family obsessed with the sport. Although loyalties were deeply contested with her Ghanaian father supporting Manchester United, her brother is a Chelsea fan, while her sister follows West Ham. Meanwhile Michelle, a life-long gunner, joined Arsenal at just six-years-old when her dad landed her a trial while working as a grassroots football coach. But it was watching the Lionesses win 4-0 against Northern Ireland while standing on the sidelines at Wembley that Agyemang, then just a 15-year-old ball girl, truly realised her dream of becoming part of the England squad. Finally four years later, while playing for England U19s, an injury for club teammate Alessia Russo opened the field for Agyemang to step up to senior duty. At the Women's Nations League in April, she was given her England debut against Belgium. It took her just 41 seconds to stick one between the goalposts. Recalling that goal, she still looks back with disbelief and admits she rewatches it on Youtube to try and inspire herself. She said: "I was literally watching it today. Sometimes I think 'how did I do that'. "Like, probably if you asked me to go out and do it again now it just wouldn't happen, so it's just crazy to look back on it and believe that it happened, but I'm so grateful that it did." At England boot camp Michelle was warmly welcomed into the fold by experienced players who admire her talent. Captain Leah Williamson admitted: "Michelle's athleticism is something I can only dream of... She knows how much I believe in her." And after a stint on loan to Bright and Hove in the last WSL season, boss Dario Vidosic predicts Michelle will be a "household name" after the Euros. He said: "She's got a beautiful strike, she knows how to hit a ball, she's dangerous, she possesses a lot of weapons and she'll be, no doubt, a household name sooner rather than later. "I'm sure there'll be a lot of kids wearing her jerseys in the not too distant future." Now a trusted wildcard for Sarina Wiegman, Michelle says her overwhelming feeling to be going to Switzerland is one of immense pride. "To put that badge on and to know that you're representing your country at a major tournament," she said. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity." Speaking about the moment she got the call up, Michelle added: 'It was amazing to get that call and to be here again. My family is so supportive. When I was telling them my mum was screaming, my dad was shouting as well and then my friends. I'm really grateful that she [Wiegman] has put the trust in me to come in here again and show what I can do.'
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
How to buy England home, away and goalkeeper shirts for Lionesses at Euro 2025
Euro 2022 champions England will defend their title in Switzerland this summer, with Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses getting their campaign underway against France on July 5 England will go into the 2025 Women's European Championships as holders, and they'll be hoping a new kit can become immortalised in another title win. The Lionesses kick off their campaign against France on July 5, before facing the Netherlands and Wales in their other group games. Sarina Wiegman's team have already worn the home kit, giving it a first airing in a 6-0 thumping of Portugal in the UEFA Nations League at the end of May. And now fans can get their own hands on it. The Euro 2025 kits have been manufactured by Nike, and feature twists on traditional designs. The home kit is white, as usual, but with a red and blue print across the chest as well as blue on the sleeves and collar. England's away kit is black, and with flashes of colour on the side. The new goalkeeper kit is green, in a change from the previous orange effort, and has a subtle vertical stripe pattern. "To be a Lioness is to be more than an athlete. It's about respecting tradition while challenging the status quo to build a bright tomorrow," manufacturers Nike say about the kit, which is inspired in part by England kits of years past. That first outing for the new kit couldn't have gone much better. It was a dream evening for striker Aggie Beever-Jones, too, with the youngster bagging a hat-trick on her first Wembley start for her country. "As cliche as it sounds, Sarina literally said it's a new kit, new England today, go out there and put a graft in, basically,' Beever-Jones said after the win. 'I think her words were 'destroy them', in her Dutch accent." England's new Euro 2025 kits are made from Nike's Dri-FIT ADV material, which helps take sweat away from the body "for quicker evaporation". The goal of this is to keep those wearing the kits both drier and more comfortable. In addition to ensuring breathability, Nike have also emphasised the sustainability of the kit. The home and away kits, as well as the goalkeeper kit, are made using sustainable materials - with the shirt and shorts made of at least 80 per cent recycled material as Nike aim to reduce fabric waste and take care over the impact they are making on the planet. England will take to the field in their new kits during this summer's Euros in Switzerland, with their first group game taking place on July 5. You can get your hands on the kits even sooner, though, with all kits available in 'stadium' and 'match kit' formats. All kits are available in kids and little kids sizes as well as a variety of adult sizes. Adult shirts are on sale from £84.99 from a variety of outlets, and you can buy your own via the link below.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Meet the Lioness cubs - England's little girls who fought to play football
The Lionesses will head to Switzerland next week as the defending champions at the Women's Euros with their first match against France on Saturday July 5 From little cubs to fierce Lionesses these are the youngsters who fought to become England's pride. Ahead of their journey to Zurich, the team have been at boot camp in St George's Park preparing for the European Championship next week. And as boss Sarina Wiegman put the finishing touches to her side, she surprised them with a gifted shirt from each of their grassroots clubs. The England Women's manager said: "I often say to the squad 'go back to that young girl who first started playing football, think about the happiness those days provided you'. All of the players have had a different journey but their love for the sport will have started at their first club. "For them to wear the shirt of their first ever club and to have many people who were key to their development at training is really special.' But while the players share an unwavering love for the game, it has been no walk-in-the-park getting to where they are now. From bag-packing to raise money to play, getting banned from boys' teams or sacrificing their prom night, each Lioness has a story about a little girl's determination to play football. Before her red jersey bore an Arsenal shield captain Leah Williamson, 28, wore the crest of Scots Youth FC, the junior club of Bletchley, Milton Keynes. Recalling her tough year-long stint there, Williamson, then just six, recalls how her mum made her wear a gum shield in case she was attacked for being the best player on the all-boys side. She said: 'I was the only girl in the team and I used to get abuse from the sidelines every week. 'My mum made me wear a gum shield to protect my teeth because everybody wanted to kick lumps out of me, but it didn't put me off. You couldn't get me out of my football kit. I absolutely loved it. 'That year at Scot Youth made me a stronger person, 100 per cent. 'I knew some people were getting angry on the sidelines that a girl was the best player on the pitch, but for me what was better than matching their aggression was winning the game. 'And that's something I've remembered throughout my career. If you're good enough then you just need to let the football do the talking.' Born with strabismus, a condition which causes misaligned eyes and can affect depth perception, doctors told Hampton she would never have a career in football. But as she embarks on her first international tournament as England's No1 goalie, the Birmingham-born 24-year-old says she has spent her life 'proving people wrong'. She said: "I think I've always gone through life trying to prove people wrong. I was told from a young age that I couldn't play football, that it wouldn't be a profession I could pursue - the doctors told my parents that. "I'm here right now... I think I can say that I've proved people wrong." It's a mission the Chelsea player is determined to keep up throughout the Euros - as many fans had assumed Golden Glove winner Mary Earps would Wiegman's the first choice in goal. Hampton said: 'I'm going to be trying my absolute best to fill the gloves of the keepers (who came) before and the success they've had. I think like everyone here, they've had ups and downs in their careers. She added: 'Did I think, when I was a young girl, I'd be sitting here right now in the position I am? Absolutely not."But am I proud and... I think it's going to be a summer of very exciting football." Beaming at the camera underneath a perfect fringe in a bright green and yellow jersey, little Lauren Hemp was a proud player at Norwich City Girls' Centre of Excellence. But she would soon have to boot up with the boys at North Walsham when the girls' centre was closed down. "I did think 'what am I going to do? Where am I going to go? I'm going to have to go back to playing with the boys' team'," she recalled. But Hemp added: "In the end it shaped me to the player I am." Up north, Lucy Bronze was facing her own struggle to keep playing with the boys at Alnwick Town Juniors. FA rules in the early noughties stated girls could not play for boys' teams beyond the age 12 due to risk of injury. But defiant Bronzey soon found a new team 50 minutes away in Blyth, Northumberland. To this day several Lionesses still credit their parents for driving them miles to games while working multiple jobs. When Georgia Stanway had to leave Furness Rovers boys in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, the closest girls' team was two hours down the M6. Stanway, 26 said: "At the age of 12 or 13, girls and boys were no longer allowed to play with each other. I took a year out of football, and participated in every other sport I could. But I just knew that my love was for football so I pestered my parents to take me down to the nearest centre of excellence, which was Blackburn Rovers. It was two hours there, two hours back, three times a week, so it was a massive commitment. "Considering both my parents worked full-time... They were getting out of work as quickly as they could to take me down the M6 motorway and even things like fuel costs, because it's not cheap. "That's kind of how I ended up being who I am now. I'm forever grateful for what they've done. Every single time I got out of the car, whether it was at training or at home, I made sure I said thank you." The Lionesses will play their first match in the Switzerland tournament on Saturday July 5 against France.
ITV News
3 days ago
- Sport
- ITV News
Lioness striker calls for more recognition for England's women footballers ahead of Euros
Lioness striker Georgia Stanway says there should be more recognition for England's women footballers - especially those who won the last Euros. She's hoping, if they do it again, in Switzerland starting next week, it'll be different. Speaking exclusively to ITV News on the day Sir Gareth Southgate was knighted at Windsor Castle, Stanway also said believes Sarina Wiegman should be made an honorary dame if the Lionesses retain their Euros title. The Bayern Munich star added it was 'unfortunate' that more Euro 2022 winners hadn't been given honours after ending England's 58-year wait for a major trophy.'I feel like everybody should have been rewarded for those moments', she said. 'Not only a few players. But maybe in the future to come, more and more will be recognised.' Four Lionesses were named in the New Years honours list in 2022/23, after claiming silverware for a senior England side for the first time since 1966. Captain Leah Williamson received an OBE, while teammates Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Ellen White were awarded MBEs. Sarina Wiegman was also made an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire, with the permission of the Dutch government. Stanway also talked to us about her new hobby - tattooing - and her hopes she will be able to try out her skills on her teammates, if Swiss law allows.
Time Out
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Duke & Roya
Photograph: Courtesy Jeremy Daniel | Duke & Roya Jay Ellis ( Insecure ) and Stephanie Nur ( Lioness ) play an unlikely couple—he's a hip-hop superstar, she's an Afghani translator working in Kabul —in a new drama by Charles Randolph-Wright ( Blue ). Warren Adams directs the NYC premiere, whose cast also includes a pair of formidable stage vets, Noma Dumezweni ( Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ) and Dariush Kashani ( Oslo ). Wed, Jun 25, 2025 Thu, Jun 26, 2025 Thu, Jun 26, 2025 Fri, Jun 27, 2025 Sat, Jun 28, 2025 Sat, Jun 28, 2025 Mon, Jun 30, 2025 Tue, Jul 1, 2025 Wed, Jul 2, 2025 Thu, Jul 3, 2025 Show more By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. 🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed! Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Discover Time Out original video
