Latest news with #MarkBullingham
The Sun
17 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
FA chief shares thoughts on Sarina Wiegman's England future ahead of Lionesses' Euros title defence
FA CHIEF Mark Bullingham expects Sarina Wiegman to carry on as England boss - even if her team endured a Euros group stage exit. And the Football Association's top exec thinks the women's game will continue to grow no matter where the Lionesses finish in the tournament. 4 4 4 Holders England are just seven days away from commencing the defence of the Euros title they won at Wembley three years ago. They will battle it out for knockout place with an in-form France who they play in Zurich, Switzerland on July 5 before duels with the Netherlands and Wales. Last January Wiegman, 55, extended her contract, which was due to expire after this summer's Euros, until after the 2027 World Cup. The Dutch coach is regarded as one of the most successful England managers having guided the team to Euros glory and their first ever World Cup final. On whether a group-stage exit would force the FA to consider her position, Bullingham said: "I don't see any scenario changing that. "We're delighted that Sarina's in place until 2027 On whether Wiegman's reign could go beyond the next Women's World Cup, he added: "We haven't looked beyond that time scale yet or engaged in those conversations. "We feel we have us locked into this tournament and the next and that feels very good for us. "That's not to say we wouldn't have a conversation at some point in the future but it's too early for that really." England's group D opener with France comes nine days after new research revealed a decrease in average broadcast audiences for Women's Super League games. A Women's Sport Trust study found the average UK broadcast audience for the WSL had declined by 35% year on year. However with England World Cup final clash with Spain being the most-watched women's sport event on TV in 2023, Bullingham believes the game will continue to grow and attract large audiences He said: "We see every international tournament as an opportunity to accelerate growth rather than it being a negative. "If you look at the last World Cup being in Australia - the challenge with the time zones made it difficult for teams in Europe to achieve really high figures. "But actually, we were still, despite that, achieving good figures so we're really confident that we'll achieve good figures this time around." 4 Plans to build a statue of England's Women's team are still ongoing according to the FA. The football authority entered into discussions about its design following the last Women's World Cup. The FA says it is "completely committed" to the project with the commissioning process currently at an advanced stage with an update likely to be provided after the summer.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
FA chief gives update on Sarina Wiegman's future ahead of Euros
Sarina Wiegman 's position as England head coach is not under threat, even if the Lionesses fail to progress beyond the group stage at this summer's European Championships. England have been drawn in a 'group of death' alongside 2017 Euros champions the Netherlands and heavyweights France, as well as major tournament debutants Wales, and are coming into their title defence on an inconsistent run of form. The year started with an impressive win against world champions Spain, as well as a 5-0 drubbing of Belgium in the Nations League, but both reverse fixtures away from home ended in disappointing defeats. To add to this, the withdrawal of key leaders Mary Earps, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright in the lead-up to the squad announcement has added an air of uncertainty ahead of England's Euros campaign, which kicks off next Saturday against France. And FA CEO Mark Bullingham has thrown his weight behind Wiegman ahead of the curtain-raiser next week. When asked whether an early England exit would affect Wiegman's position, he replied: 'I think we're delighted that Sarina's in place for 2027 and I don't see any scenario changing that.' He added: 'We know we're one of a number of teams who can win it (the Euros), and there are actually three of those in our group. We've prepared well and we believe the Nations League provided us with some really testing fixtures for us to improve. 'Our aim is to win and, in terms of the tournament build-up, we feel like the team is in a really good place. There were obviously some players returning from injury and we're delighted we've got them back now. 'Obviously in a perfect world we would have had some of them playing for half a season, but that's not the reality. But we're really confident in the squad we've got going to the Euros.' Wiegman is contracted to remain in post until 2027. When she took over in 2021, England were eighth in the world and have not left the top five since winning the Euros on home soil in 2022 and leading them to the World Cup final in 2023. She remains the only coach – men's or women's – to win two major tournaments with two different countries, having led the Netherlands to Euros glory in 2017. As for extending her contract beyond 2027, those talks are yet to occur. 'We think she (Wiegman) is a fantastic coach and she's done a brilliant job for us,' Bullingham said. 'We're delighted that she's with us until at least 2027; we haven't started to look beyond that timescale yet or engaged in those conversations. We're locked in for this tournament and the next one (Brazil World Cup 2027) and that feels very good for now. But that's not to say we wouldn't have a conversation at some point in the future.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Wiegman to stay as England manager even if they exit at group stage of Euro 2025
Sarina Wiegman has the backing of the Football Association to stay in charge of England until at least 2027 regardless of how her team perform at Women's Euro 2025. The defending champions are in the so-called group of death alongside France, the Netherlands and Wales and the FA's chief executive, Mark Bullingham, was asked whether Wiegman would continue even if England exited the tournament early. 'We're delighted that Sarina's in place until 2027 and I don't see any scenario changing that,' he said. 'She is the most successful coach in women's international football today.' Wiegman won the European Championship with the Netherlands before repeating the trick with England and has led both countries to a World Cup final. Bullingham said of the ambitions for the Euros that start in Switzerland on Wednesday: 'As with every tournament, we're aiming to win but we know just how hard that is. We do believe we are one of a number of teams who are capable of winning. We will be doing everything to try to make that a reality.' Bullingham said he was 'very confident' Wiegman would want to stay until at least the 2027 World Cup, praising the 'phenomenal job' she has done, and revealed the Dutchwoman was on the interview panel for the process to hire the FA's new women's technical director. Gavin Step is in that role on an interim basis while the chief football officer, Dan Ashworth, leads the search to replace Kay Cossington. Wiegman and the Lionesses who won Euro 2022 are due to be honoured with a statue at Wembley, and an FA spokesperson said the governing body was 'completely committed' to the project. 'We are well advanced now, in the commissioning process,' they said. 'We're making good progress, and I'm hopeful we will be able to provide an update at the end of the summer.' The idea was disclosed during 2023's World Cup, when Wiegman's team reached the final in Sydney. The UK is due to host the 2035 Women's World Cup after Fifa confirmed England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were the sole bidders, and Bullingham said 'about 33 stadia' had declared interest in staging matches at the first senior football World Cup on UK soil since 1966. Bullingham said Northern Ireland's Windsor Park would be included, and made clear the organisers were prepared to give several proposed new stadiums, including in Manchester, a chance to be completed. 'There are probably [six] stadiums that could be built throughout the next few years that could be really attractive to host a tournament in the United Kingdom in 2035,' he said. 'You could look at what could potentially happen at St James' Park, at Birmingham and at Wrexham – there are a number of other ones as well. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion 'In terms of Northern Ireland, we are very focused on Windsor Park; we are not anticipating any stadiums being built in Northern Ireland. The question for Windsor Park is how we expand it slightly because the minimum number you have to get to for a World Cup bid is 20,000 and they are just off that but we think it's possible to add those extra seats and we fully expect Northern Ireland and Windsor Park to be part of the World Cup.'
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Empty Premier League schedule explained after FA Cup agreement reached
Manchester City and Crystal Palace will face off at Wembley in the 2025 FA Cup final and the day will not feature any Premier League football before or after the game The big game today sees Manchester City take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, but there is no Premier League action either side of the 4.30pm kick-off. It marks a change from previous years, but there's a good reason for it. There were two matches on Friday night, with Chelsea beating Manchester United and Aston Villa getting the better of Tottenham. We've got five more league games to come on Sunday and one on Monday, while City and Palace have midweek responsibilities following their Wembley exertions. On Saturday, though, it's a Premier League-free day. That's all down to an agreement aimed at preserving the "Magic of the Cup," allowing the final to take centre-stage. "The Emirates FA Cup is our biggest asset and generates over 60 per cent of our revenue to invest into the game, so it is critical to secure a strong format for the future," FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in 2024 when the new agreement was reached. "This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the Emirates FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar. "The new schedule ensures the magic of the Cup is protected and enhanced, while working for the whole of the English game. The longer summer period also allows a much-needed player break before the start of the next season." It's not just the final which sits on a day free from Premier League action. Under the terms of the new deal, which runs for six seasons the fourth and fifth rounds are also free of top-flight football, as are the quarter-finals. The fifth round has also been moved back to the weekend. In recent seasons, it had been a full midweek programme of games. Finalists Palace and City have taken different routes to the final. Pep Guardiola's favourites have been forced to come from behind on three separate occasions, against Leyton Orient, Plymouth Argyle and Bournemouth, though things were easier against Forest in the semis after going ahead inside two minutes. Palace's run, meanwhile, has been built on defensive strength. Oliver Glasner's side have conceded just once during their entire run, against Millwall in round five, though they conceded five against City when the teams last met in the league. "We focused on what we want to do tomorrow at Wembley," Palace boss Oliver Glasner told reporters on Friday. "We analysed Manchester City, but 90% of the time we were talking about us - because this is what we can influence, we can influence our performance, we can influence what we want to do in and out of possession and so the focus was on our game." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Why the FA Cup final is not being played on the final weekend of the season
Man City and Crystal Palace meet at Wembley this weekend with a new six-year deal between the FA and Premier League changing the date of the traditional climax to the English season The FA Cup final was traditionally the climax to the English domestic football season - and the biggest game of the campaign. But this year Manchester City against Crystal Palace is squeezed in between Premier League fixtures on Friday and Sunday on the penultimate weekend of the season. And get used to it because this is the first season of a six-year deal between the FA and Premier League agreed in April last year. There have been no replays this season - and the fifth round returned to a weekend after being played in midweek for the last five seasons. But as part of the £133m per-season deal to support grassroots football, this year's FA Cup final will played the week before the end of the season until at least 2030. There will be no Premier League games on Saturday. But the agreement not to stage top-flight league games on the Friday night before has been ripped up to move the Chelsea v Manchester United men's fixture to avoid it clashing with Sunday's FA Cup final. And this has seen the other Europa League finalists Tottenham getting their game against Aston Villa shifted to the same slot. The FA Cup final used to have a traditional 3pm kickoff time preceded by hours of build-up for one of the few games then shown on terrestrial television. Now it is at 4.30pm - and the start is only earlier to not clash with BBC 's coverage of the Eurovision contest. Despite the attraction of the Premier League and extended European competitions, the all Manchester final last season still had 8m viewers in the UK alone. And speaking at the announcement of the new deal in April last year, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham insisted his organisation were protecting 'the magic of the Cup'. He said: "The Emirates FA Cup is our biggest asset and generates over 60 per cent of our revenue to invest into the game, so it is critical to secure a strong format for the future. "This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the Emirates FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar. "The new schedule ensures the magic of the Cup is protected and enhanced, while working for the whole of the English game. The longer summer period also allows a much-needed player break before the start of the next season. "We have also agreed new funding for the grassroots game, disability football and the women's and girls' game. All football begins at the grassroots, and this is recognised by the Premier League with very welcome additional financial support." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
