Latest news with #LotteWubbenMoy
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
From piano practice to Lego castles: are wholesome hobbies the secret to the Lionesses' success?
On Sunday the Lionesses clinched a historic victory in the Euros final against Spain, becoming the first England team to win a major international tournament abroad. As a clinical psychologist who works with professional athletes and sports teams, I know that discipline and aggression will have played an important role in their victory – but that habits and hobbies off the pitch might have been just as vital. In the training camp, away from the spotlight and competition of the tournament, the Lionesses would come together in the evenings to engage in wholesome activities including building Lego, doing jigsaws and playing Monopoly. Michelle Agyemang played a piano in her room. Defender Lotte Wubben-Moy brought a sourdough starter from home for the team chef to feed. They were also encouraged to spend time with their families and to talk and journal about 'how they had made it to the Euros, their footballing journeys and the personal battles they had faced'. Mastering professional sport requires resilience, composure and an ability to navigate the highs and lows inherent in competition. Highs – such as when an important match is won and the stadium roars with approval – kick players' sympathetic nervous systems into overdrive as the neurotransmitters adrenaline and dopamine are released. In this state, returning to a hotel room to sleep and recover ahead of upcoming fixtures can feel virtually impossible. It's not uncommon for athletes to continue to seek out dopamine hits in the form of intense physical exercise, alcohol, social-media feedback, gaming or gambling – all of which can have negative outcomes. Similarly, when athletes experience a low – a day off, the off-season, an injury or retirement – their mood can plummet. Not only is there now ample time to ruminate on negative thoughts, but their brain chemistry is suddenly deprived of all that lovely pleasure-inducing dopamine as the highs of winning subside and social-media feedback wanes. All too often, the instinct is to pursue dopamine through other, potentially harmful stimuli because it feels too uncomfortable to tolerate the sense of lacking something. Little sympathy is often felt by the public towards football stars who appear seemingly reckless in their behaviours off the pitch, but in reality they are sliding down a slippery slope of addiction and are desperately fighting to get off. Managing the cognitive, emotional and neurotransmitter-fuelled rollercoaster inherent in sport is crucial for athletes if they want to avoid emotional dysregulation, depression, addiction and burnout. Here's where the Lionesses played a blinder with their choice of downtime occupations. Low-tech, slower activities such as Lego, puzzles and journalling, as well as being engaging and satisfying, provide an off-ramp for dopamine chasing. They allow players to build emotional and psychological resilience. If you've ever attempted a complex Lego build – like the forward Lauren Hemp, who reportedly built a Beauty and the Beast castle during the Euros – you'll know all too well the level of patience required. Tolerating the discomfort of a fiddly project can help build emotional regulation and resilience – vital for managing uncomfortable pressure points on the pitch. Many of the Lionesses' purported pastimes were also low- or no-tech. In choosing to play an instrument or give each other beauty treatments (defender Esme Morgan was reportedly the woman to see about lash lifts), the Lionesses were giving their sympathetic nervous systems an opportunity to switch off, allowing for faster recovery. Moreover, in doing non-football related activities together during their leisure time, the players opened up space for social and emotional connectedness – a key component of a cohesive and connected team. The type of calm, low-tech, collaborative activities practised by the Lionesses during the Euros provided balance between the rush of fast-paced highs and the discomfort of tolerating uncomfortable, slower-paced moments. It's this balance that our minds and bodies need to sustain the physical fitness and mental stamina required to meet the demands of a major tournament – and it's this balance that has been a key ingredient of England's success. We can't all be Lionesses, but we can learn from them. When the going gets tough, the tough … do jigsaws. Dr Amy Izycky is a clinical psychologist specialising in professional sport and neuropsychology working throughout the UK and internationally. She is the author of Skewed to The Right: Sport, Mental Health and Vulnerability
Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Lionesses' super-sub took a piano to Euros to help her relax
England's super-sub Michelle Agyemang had her piano shipped out to Switzerland to help her relax in between Euro 2025 matches. Agyemang, 19, said she had played for her teammates and was really glad to have had the instrument during the competition. She said: 'I've been having a great time on that. The kitman brought it over in a van. It's calm and relaxing. 'Lotte [Wubben-Moy] asked me to play for her. She came to my room and I played a few things for her, which was nice.' The football star, who was named Uefa's young player of the tournament, plays piano, bass guitar and drums and is a fan of gospel music. She told The Mirror: 'I have my piano in my room so I'm spending a lot of time in there just playing and chilling.' She added: 'I don't think that there's a day that I go without playing it because it's right in front of me. Especially on game days I probably spend about two hours just playing and enjoying myself.' Like several other members of the team, Agyemang builds Lego models to decompress. She said: 'I was building a really tiny stadium the other day because I was bored and suddenly Lucy [Bronze] was like, 'we can make this so much better'. I didn't know she has really good skills when it comes to Lego.' • Lionesses make history for English football with Euro 2025 win Agyemang and Bronze made a replica of the stadium before their match and Bronze suggested making it a pre-match tradition — one that teammate Lauren Hemp is sure to enjoy. Hemp is a well-known Lego fan, and was even photographed carrying a Lego model of Disney's Beauty and the Beast castle out of the team hotel on Monday morning. She previously said she had to decide carefully which Lego sets to bring with her to tournaments. Chloe Kelly revealed over the weekend that Esme Morgan had been opening her 'beauty salon' for the team, to give them lash lifts. 'She's doing a great job,' she said. 'And it's free!'
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who is Lotte Wubben-Moy's boyfriend Tao Geoghegan Hart?
LIONESS Lotte Wubben-Moy has had to bide her time to catch the eye of England's head coach Sarina Wiegman. She finally battled her way back into the national team at Wembley last year after a three-year wait – but did you know her boyfriend is equally competitive? 1 Who is Lotte's boyfriend Tao Geoghegan Hart? Tao is a British cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers. He was the fifth British rider to win a grand tour, the second Briton to win the Giro, and the youngest British rider to win a grand tour. On May 17, 2023, the cyclist was rushed to hospital after a horror crash at Giro d'Italia. He reportedly came tumbling off his bike on a slippery downhill descent with 70km to go in stage 11. When did Lotte Wubben-Moy and Tao Geoghegan Hart start dating? The couple went public with their relationship on March 24, 2021. They have since shared several posts of each other on their social media. On May 6, 2023, Lotte took to Instagram to wish Tao luck for his Giro d'Italia race. Sharing a sweet photo of the pair, she captioned the post: "A smile, a wink and off you go into the depths of Italy. From E5 to the 6602, issa @girdotalia time. "Head smooth like a calzone, a pie isn't aero after all. go well amore xx". A 'super special' moment When Lotte was finally called up for England last year – for the Euro 2025 qualifier against Sweden – she entered the field hand in hand with Tao's sister. 'It's a very special feeling for both me and my family,' the England defender told The Guardian. "I had my partner's little sister walking out with me so that was super special."
The Independent
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Taking the knee is no longer enough – the Lionesses need the FA to take a stand over racist abuse
If the Jess Carter story sounds dismally familiar, a further problem is how it affects everyone in different ways. There is a lot of deep emotion around the England camp, since so many could relate to a case of yet more racist abuse. That is why the group came together, driven by some infuriated players, to tackle this head on. A core of the squad did not want to just write this off as more social media abuse you have to accept. They were adamant. Even before you get to the bigger issue, Carter is a popular player, who they felt defensive of. The 27-year-old first decided to discuss it publicly, and state she's taking a 'step back from social media'. The group meanwhile want more from football's authorities, including the Football Association. Lotte Wubben-Moy announced she 'will not continue to feed the very platforms that enable this abuse with no consequence'. The next step, however, is to take a proper stand. Literally. The England squad will not take the knee before the semi-final against Italy, having done so before every game so far. Lucy Bronze did the press conference just after the developments were announced, and laid out the squad's rationale in detail. 'I think it was just the fact that we feel as a collective, is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard? Because to us it feels like it's not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives. 'It's about putting another statement out there to say, you know, it's something that still is a problem, it's something that still needs to be put right.' It only sums up the many layers to this. Some of the previous detractors of taking the knee will use it as proof that it never worked, and was all a pointless gesture in a culture war. That is nonsense. It is also far from the squad's point, of course, as Bronze herself argued. 'I think there has been change," the defender said. "I think more change needs to happen.' It is obvious there is much more awareness of this, which has led to more action, certainly in stadiums. Even if some people are persuaded, or some people see a viewpoint they hadn't considered before, it has worked. It's just no longer enough. 'A problem,' as Bronze said, 'is that as the game grows and everything grows in football and in life, as much as there might be change, there becomes more outlets for the abuse or the racism as well. That's something that's hard to strike the balance with. "People are more educated, there are more places to speak out, to have a platform, there are more changes happening, there are small changes, you see people being held accountable, whether that's online, in stadiums. 'You do see bans happening. It's just not enough. That's the point. Not enough is being done. There are small changes being made. If you look back 100 years to 50 years to 20 years to 10 years, there's always small steps forward. 'But that's the problem. It's always a small step. We don't want it to be small steps anymore. We want it to be: this is happening, there is change, and this is unacceptable. 'There are no more small steps, because we get to the point it's where it should be in the world, and especially in the world of football, footballers it feels like there can be a place where we can control abuse online, especially racism online, because everything's monitored online, so it just doesn't make sense to us.' Such stridency is admirable, and is in-keeping with this team's legacy for social action, alongside their football success. The very fact England are going so big, however, is also where it gets much more complicated. Really, 'the knee' has become normalised in abnormal times. The world has taken an authoritarian turn, where views recently considered totally unacceptable are now uttered all the time. There is even a disconcerting discussion to be had over how much the men's game has enabled this, given its propensity for toxic tribalism, and how it has been propelled around the planet hand in hand with social media. Online, the circumstances are very different to when this issue first truly exploded with the men's Euro 2020 final in July 2021. Elon Musk has bought Twitter/X, with multiple studies indicating that racist abuse and hate speech has risen on the platform through declining moderation. The amplification of far-right voices has been linked to Donald Trump's re-election, which subsequently saw Mark Zuckerberg's Meta announce a series of moderation changes. In other words, good luck getting the social media companies to do something meaningful. They have recently thrived off people feeling they can say whatever they want. There's then the point that Bronze made herself, that the bigger the women's game gets, the more exposed they are to this critical mass of disparate views. Or, almost as bad, to some teenager who just posts something vile simply because he can. One of the individuals jailed for a post to Marcus Rashford after the Euro 2020 final was a 19-year-old whose solicitor said he was 'ashamed and embarrassed' but that living with a single-parent mother and only working two days a week left him 'with a lot of time on his hands'. It's difficult to know what one football team can do in that kind of world, no matter how well-intentioned. There's a danger you just keep saying the same things. This very article falls into that trap. Even if police make arrests, as Bronze and the squad implored, it's like whack-a-mole. That's why figures such as Wubben-Moy are advocating for different approaches. Her own - final - social media post has certainly given everyone else something to think about. Should the FA be following suit and coming off social media? To make a stand to go with the players? Such authorities can't do much about that wider context, but they can control how they engage with it. It might be a dismally familiar story, but the squad now want different responses.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
No one needs social media – Lucy Bronze issues warning over Jess Carter abuse
Lucy Bronze has warned social media companies football players can 'thrive' without their services after her England team-mate Jess Carter was the target of vile racist online abuse at Euro 2025. Carter, in a statement posted to her accounts on several networks, said she will be 'taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with', while team-mate Lotte Wubben-Moy said she 'will not continue to feed the very platforms that enable this abuse with no consequence' for the remainder of the tournament. And while Bronze was adamant players could quite easily cut ties with the platforms, she was nevertheless 'sad' for Carter, who she conceded might also be 'missing out' on a chance to celebrate with supporters as the defending champions prepare for Tuesday's semi-final with Italy in Geneva. 'I think no player needs social media,' said Bronze. 'I think that's one thing that we can always remember, is that we play football because we love the sport. 'We love playing, we do love connecting with our fans. Social media is a great way to do that, but we don't need it. 'I think that's something that the platforms should be very aware of, is that no one needs social media. If you want to carry on in sport, especially, we can thrive without it, but it is sad that players are missing out on so many of these great messages. 'Someone like Jess, she's had an amazing tournament. I think she was one of our best players in the Netherlands game, for example, and she should be able to see messages and the fans and the support and live in that moment, because it's something you should be able to celebrate. 'So it's sad that players are having to choose between this roller-coaster that social media sends us on.' In a statement, Football Association chief Mark Bullingham confirmed his organisation has already referred the 'abhorrent' abuse to UK police, who are 'in touch with the relevant social media platform', and said the FA 'will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done.' The Lionesses have collectively agreed they will not be 'taking the knee' ahead of kick-off in Geneva, a symbolic anti-racism gesture that since 2016, when NFL player Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the Star Spangled Banner in protest, has become widespread practice across sport. 'Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches,' read a team statement. 'It's clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism. We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday.' Bronze agreed that there 'has been change' since Kaepernick's protest but added: 'I think the problem is that as the game grows and everything grows, in football and in life, as much as there might be change, there are more outlets for abuse and racism as well. 'It's just not enough. I think that's the point. Not enough is being done. There are small changes being made, there's always small steps forward, but that's the problem. It's always a small step. 'And we don't want it to be small steps anymore. We want it to be 'this is happening, there's change, it's unacceptable', and there's no more small steps, because we get to the point of where it should be in the world, and especially in the world of footballers. 'It feels like there can be a place where we can control abuse online, especially racism online. Everything is monitored online, so it just doesn't make sense to us.'
