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Sky News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Sky News
Women's Euros: One of the original Lionesses looks back on how far the team has come since 1972
As the Lionesses prepare for a sixth successive tournament quarter-final, based in plush Zurich surroundings, Janet Bagguley remembers how it all began for the team. It was a very different era. She was a pioneer, lining up in 1972 when England finally played a women's international - 100 years after the men's team launched. Now Lioness No 4 feels generations apart - and worlds apart - from the teenager who had to fund her own journey on international duty after a five-decade ban on women's football was finally lifted in England. "We didn't have any help at all," Bagguley told Sky News. "I'm sure our first game we wore a men's football kit and the England badge was just stuck on, and then it would have been taken off after we returned it. "We had no kit of our own, we bought our own football boots, everything we paid for ourselves or our parents did." And, already working at 16, with no holidays left, it relied on her boss clocking her in and out of work for three days. So, on 18 November 1972, Bagguley could line up against Scotland on a frozen pitch, organised not directly by the Football Association but a Women's FA. "All the men's matches that day had been called off because of the conditions, but we still played," she said. "I can remember walking out onto that pitch, feeling really, really proud, especially when they played the national anthem." England won 3-2. But it would take another two decades before the FA became fully on board with the women's team. Now the Lionesses are household names, with the FA's investment developing a fully professional league and turning the national team into a force. That peaked with the European Championship title won at Wembley in 2022 and reached the World Cup final a year later. Semi-finals have been reached at every World Cup or Euros since 2015, and it's the target when Sarina Wiegman's side plays Sweden on Thursday in Zurich at Euro 2025. 1:20 Bagguley said: "Where it is today now, the facilities that they've all got, it's amazing. "And the current Lionesses are leaving a legacy now for all the younger ones coming through from the grassroots. It's superb. "Obviously things have come on in leaps and bounds haven't they?" 1:37 Bagguley is now a Royal Mail postwoman but has gained from the current generation's surging status. She has the type of sponsorship deal unimaginable in 1972, through KIND Snacks, collecting letters of support to deliver to the players. "They're professionals now," she said. "It was really hard work. We had snarky remarks thrown at us about you should be at home doing your cooking and cleaning and things like that." But now? "It's fantastic," she said. "You hear the kids all shouting, I'll be Toone, I'm going to be Bronze, Williamson. They're all such household names now."
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
England-Nigeria decision coming soon
Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo recognises he needs to decide "sooner or later" whether his international future lies with England or 27-year-old has yet to receive an international call-up for either his nation of birth, England, or parentage, Nigeria with the World Cup taking place in the United States in about his hopes for playing international football, Adarabioyo said: "The World Cup means it is a decision I need to take sooner rather than later. It is a conversation we will have and we will see how it goes."The centre-back, born in Manchester, has been open to playing for England, representing the country from under-16s to under-19s, and being on Gareth Southgate's long list while playing at Fulham. However, he has yet to receive a formal terms of Nigeria, Adarabioyo has previously denied turning down any call-ups in the past. Sources say there was caution in making any decisions after his recent move to Chelsea, with the defender publicly stating he wanted to focus on club football this season. Adarabioyo is proud to have familial ties with Nigeria and last year his camp received informal contact from them. Now, with stability at Chelsea after playing 39 games this season, Adarabioyo is approaching decision time should a call-up several sources at Chelsea have praised the defender's off-field influence, especially at the Club World Cup where players are away from their families and with a lot of free time on their hands. They highlighted his close relationship with star player Cole Palmer and nickname 'Uncle' as evidence of his influence as one of a number of leaders in the squad. "I settled very quickly when I came and took on that leadership role to try and help the boys whenever I can," Adarabioyo added. "At Fulham, I was actually one of the youngest and now to come here and be one of the eldest, it's quite funny. But wherever I've been I've always been one of the leaders in the team."One example of Adarabioyo's leadership was encouraging Palmer to say more in a man-of-the-match interview after the Conference League final, with the forward in turn filmed applauding his friend after winning 'Superior Player of the Match' in a viral video after the 3-0 win over ES Tunis on Tuesday night. "No, I'm not a mentor (for Palmer), but I was looking after him a little bit," he added. "He's a top, top player who doesn't need advice from me to know what he has to do but I'm there whenever he needs me. "I banter him sometimes and tells he's a little superstar. He handles it very well."
The Guardian
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Matildas' Montemurro era off to winning start with 3-0 victory over Slovenia
Holly McNamara has scored her first international goal but Joe Montemurro was left with plenty to ponder after his side scratched out an unconvincing 3-0 win over Slovenia in Perth in his first outing as Matildas coach. Emily Gielnik's third-minute strike in Thursday night's match at HBF Park got the 15th-ranked Matildas off to a flyer, but it wasn't until McNamara scored in the 86th minute that the win was safe. Hayley Raso added the icing on the cake in the 87th minute when she waltzed through the midfield untouched before unleashing a strike from outside the box. Although the 3-0 scoreline looked good on paper, the performance was far from slick in front of a crowd of just 8,678. The under-strength Matildas were error-prone throughout, especially in defence where they attempted to play their way out of trouble at every chance. Montemurro's possession-based game plan was always going to have teething problems, but the sheer amount of errors will be a huge concern. Things started brightly when Gielnik stayed persistent in a goalmouth scrap to score the opener. But the Matildas' determination to retain possession at all costs led to numerous sloppy turnovers, many of which should have been punished. Time and again, the Matildas opted to go backwards instead of finding the gaps further ahead – leading to problems whenever Slovenia were able to pick off the pass. One such turnover let Spela Kolbl off the leash in the 15th minute, with her floating cross glancing off the crossbar. The Matildas' best opportunities in the first half generally came when defender Ellie Carpenter found some space to charge forward, with her pace and physicality proving hard to stop. The Matildas' worst defensive error of the night arrived in the 52nd minute when Clare Hunt was unaware of an opponent bearing down on her as she attempted a short pass and was dispossessed. She was left breathing a huge sigh of relief when Slovenia striker Zara Kramzar fired straight at Matildas keeper Teagan Micah from close range. It was Alanna Kennedy's turn to commit a horror mistake 10 minutes later when her clumsy attempt to control the bouncing ball while running back to defend resulted in a costly deflection. Slovenian substitute, Nina Kajzba, pounced on the mistake, with her strike forcing Micah to make a fine diving save. McNamara, who has endured three knee reconstructions during her career, was a threat throughout the match. The 22-year-old, playing her 10th international, finally received her reward when she put away a header at the far post following a sublime cross from Raso. A minute later, Raso went on a run and curled in a precision strike from the edge of the box. But the team's struggles underlined how much they missed a host of their best players. Sam Kerr (knee), Mary Fowler (knee) and Tameka Yallop (leg) were all out through injury, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave. Australia face Slovenia again in Perth on Sunday, before taking on Panama in Bunbury on 5 July and in Perth on 8 July.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England must start taking international football more serious, warns Theo Walcott... as ex-Three Lions star outlines key trait U21s must show to break into Thomas Tuchel's side
Theo Walcott has a few things he wants to get off his chest, the first being his belief that England don't take international football as serious as their biggest rivals. In an illuminating chat, Walcott casts his mind back to the 2009 Under-21 European Championships final when he started in a losing effort against a star-studded Germany side. 'You could tell they fed off our energy,' Walcott said. 'When they got one and then two, you could see they didn't want to take their foot off it. 'They treated it so professionally which just showed if you do all the right things, good things will happen, and of course they won the World Cup [in 2014]. 'If you go into it and win this [Under-21] tournament, who knows where it will take these guys? You want winners in a team no matter what level, and if this squad wins this, other players will feed off that and grow to become better players, people and leaders. It's so important.' But there is a wider point that Walcott extrapolates out beyond this current iteration of Lee Carsley 's Under-21s, who started their Euros title defence on Thursday night with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic. 'The Germans are so serious and sometimes we're not as serious,' he added. 'That's a shift we need to make and you could sense that against Senegal the other day [in the seniors]. 'We didn't seem serious because it's a friendly and everyone wants to go on holiday. We need to start being more serious, particularly at international level.' The second point of order for Walcott is the intangibles that will see players graduate from Carsley's group into Thomas Tuchel's in time for the 2026 World Cup. Setting standards on the pitch alone won't be enough, Walcott insists. 'I think it's really valuable and important to be in good habits and to actually grab that opportunity and think: actually, this is really important,' Walcott, who is working as a pundit for Channel 4 during the Under-21 Euros this month, said. 'I think if you go into it half-heartedly, anything you do, maybe you're not going to fail, but you're not going to really enjoy it, right? 'I understand talking on the field is a cliche, but I actually get the sense that if you want to be in the first team now, in Thomas Tuchel's team, going to the World Cup, you need a little bit more, like really going into it. It's very different, I feel. 'It's the full package now that they're looking at.' There are introverted characters across the seniors and the Under-21s these days and while there is not one shoe that fits all - as a young player Walcott would shut himself away so he speaks from his own experience - being a key cog off the pitch, as well as on it, is taking on added significance. 'You could be the best trainer but also if you're not really involved in the day-to-day things, [like] if you just shut yourself away in the room…' he said. 'And I would shut myself in the room at times. It was very different for me. I couldn't really relate to the players I was with [in the seniors] because of the age gap. So that's the side of it which I had to manage in my own way. 'At times I'd lock myself away and get on with things. And maybe it was the right or wrong thing, I don't know, but for me at that time of my development, I was only 16, 17, so I was still learning about myself then at that age of being thrust into an environment which I'm not quite used to. 'These guys, I feel, they're going to have to tick a lot of boxes by doing the right things every minute when they're on show. 'That's really important because you can look at the likes of Jordan Henderson in the first team environment, people think, yeah, he's gone [to Saudi Arabia], da-da-da. 'But, his behaviour, everything about his attitude on a day-to-day basis speaks volumes. It's the reason why he's still playing for England. Even Kyle Walker — it's the same principles. 'Having these guys is really important and treating every second when you're on show is to be professional. I think that's the habit you need to be in. You can't just talk on the pitch. 'Everyone knows what the guys are going to do on the pitch and they want to go out and win, of course, but they're going to see the other bits of how they interact with each other, how they make connections and how they bond. 'If there's any sense that there's a group or environment that isn't great, they won't be at the tournament because they don't want any disruption. So I think it's important, you need to be careful, make sure you do the things away from the field properly. I'm sure they will.' Carsley kickstarted this Euros title defence with a 4-2-2-2 striker-less system that operated off instinct and fluidity with a wealth of No 10s interchanging. The absence of Liam Delap, who Walcott sees as the perfect profile to break Chelsea's supposed striker 'curse', was not keenly felt in the win over Czech Republic but the lack of strikers to call on is emblematic of a wider problem in English football for Walcott. 'I don't like it,' Walcott added. 'I always feel that it shows where we are as a country because we can't find a No 9 to play in a system. 'For instance, I'll give you an example from the other day when Morgan Rogers came on [for the seniors], he was non-existent. 'He likes to drive with the ball, so why have players in positions where they are not used to? Yeah you might get the best out of other players because of this player and this role and it can drag players away… the perfect example who has really adapted themselves in that position as a false nine is [Ousmane] Dembele. Obviously he's a lot more experienced, I get it, but we haven't got a Dembele. 'I think the No 9 side of things is a problem going into a tournament. You could get away with it in this one particularly but in the long run I'm not a big believer in not having nines.' The lack of No 9s and an influx of No 10s is making players, not just with England but in the game today, too 'predictable', another bug bear of Walcott's 'Everyone wants to be that really predictable player,' he said. 'When I say predictable I mean likes to come inside. Strikers are selfish, they just want to score goals. But now all of a sudden the wingers are starting to get more selfish because they want to cut in and do their thing. They're not connecting like they did in the first place. 'Then everyone wants to be No 10s because it's the glamour position where you still need to work but can have that maverick feel about yourself. 'The social media side of things, obviously people with what they see on YouTube of these guys in these positions, they're going to feed off that. 'When I was coming through I didn't bother looking at videos or anything like that. I just wanted to go out and play. And I just feel that's the side of it now. We've seen these guys in short clips, in good areas of the field, doing things and all the kids want to play there. Of course they do. You don't see the big No 9s, the Delaps. 'That's why it worries me as an Arsenal fan, Delap going to Chelsea. I know they have been going for that No 9, that Drogba type, it's that curse of the No 9. 'I feel like he can break that curse because he's a really good striker. He's the next one after Harry Kane for me. That's how much I like him as an English person but it disappoints me as an Arsenal fan if you don't go after someone like that. 'You can see it in him as well, you can see his fight. He doesn't care who he plays against. That's a side of it we're missing as well from No 9s. 'I'm not sure why we can't develop anymore and it's a sad, sad way we're going. I'm a big believer in getting it out wide, dribbling one versus one, crossing it and seeing some headed goals. 'When do we see that now? We barely see it. You just know they'll go inside. It's starting to become too predictable.' No Delap and no striker is how Carsley and Co will look to defend their Euros title. For Walcott, he just wants to see an England team put their foot on the gas and be serious against the biggest nations. It's over to the Under-21s to show this next generation are cut from a different cloth to those who came before.
The National
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
Club World Cup 2025 stadium guide: Venues, fixtures and travel times
The Club World Cup gets underway in the United States this weekend. For the first time, the tournament will feature 32 teams, which means greater representation of clubs across the football world, and more matches. Not just the format, the venue is significant as well. The United States will be hosting their first major international football tournament this century, which will not only showcase their growing appetite for the most popular sport in the world, but also serve as preparation for the main event next year – the Fifa World Cup, to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico. In all, 12 stadiums across 11 cities in the US will host the Club World Cup, that begins on Saturday (Sunday, 4am UAE). The tournament will also serve as a litmus test for the US as a host. President Donald Trump's travel bans and the wide-ranging restrictions being put on those hoping to come into the country is expected to greatly impact a number of fans who had planned to attend the tournament. As things stand, many fans are unlikely to be in the US as the visa process is unlikely to get expedited. Also, the worsening law and order situation in Los Angeles could upend plans for the tournament in the city. Still, those who get the opportunity to watch will be in for a great ride as a several matches will be held at venues that are more used to the other kind of football – the NFL. Another factor to consider is the sheer scale of the event across the vast expanse of the US. Matches have been scheduled across both the east and west coasts, which would mean some serious air miles for many associated with the tournament. Club World Cup 2025 venues MetLife Stadium (New York) Capacity: 82,500 Fixtures June 15: Palmeiras v Porto June 17: Fluminense v Borussia Dortmund June 19: Palmeiras v Al Ahly June 21: Fluminense v Ulsan June 23: Porto v Al Ahly July 5: Quarter-final July 8: Semi-final July 9: Semi-final July 13: Final Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida) Capacity: 65,000 Fixtures June 14: Al Ahly v Inter Miami June 16: Boca Juniors v Benfica June 18: Real Madrid v Al Hilal June 20: Bayern Munich v Boca Juniors June 23: Inter Miami v Palmeiras June 25: Mamelodi Sundowns v Fluminense June 29: Last 16 (Group D winners v Group C runners-up) July 1: Last 16 (Group H winners v Group G runners-up) Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) Capacity: 75,000 Fixtures June 16: Chelsea v LA FC June 19: Inter Miami v Porto June 22: Manchester City v Al Ain June 29: Last 16 (Group B winners v Group A runners-up) July 1: Last 16 (Group F winners v Group E runners-up) July 5: Quarter-final Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Capacity: 69,000 Fixtures June 16: Flamengo v Esperance de Tunis June 18: Manchester City v Wydad June 20: Flamengo v Chelsea June 22: Juventus v Wydad June 24: Esperance de Tunis v Chelsea June 26: Salzburg v Real Madrid June 28: Last 16 (Group A winners v Group B runners-up) July 4: Quarter-final Lumen Field (Seattle, Washington) Capacity: 69,000 Fixtures June 15: Botafogo v Seattle Sounders June 17: River Plate v Urawa Red Diamonds June 19: Seattle Sounders v Atletico Madrid June 21: Inter Milan v Urawa Red Diamonds June 23: Seattle Sounders v PSG June 25: Inter Milan v River Plate Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles, California) Capacity: 88,500 Fixtures June 15: PSG v Atletico Madrid June 17: Monterrey v Inter Milan June 19: PSG v Botafogo June 21: River Plate v Monterrey June 23: Atletico Madrid v Botafogo June 25: Urawa Red Diamonds v Monterrey Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina) Capacity: 75,000 Fixtures June 22: Real Madrid v Pachuca June 24: Benfica v Bayern Munich June 28: Last 16 (Group C winners v Group D runners-up) June 30: Last 16 (Group E winners v Group F runners-up) Capacity: 26,000 Fixtures June 15: Bayern Munich v Auckland City June 18: Pachuca v FC Salzburg June 21: Mamelodi Sundowns v Borussia Dortmund June 25: Borussia Dortmund v Ulsan Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) Capacity: 65,000 Fixtures June 24: LA FC v Flamengo June 26: Juventus v Manchester City June 30: Last 16 (Group G winners v Group H runners-up) July 4: Quarter-final Geodis Park (Nashville, Tennessee) Capacity: 30,000 Fixtures June 20: LA FC v Esperance de Tunis June 24: Auckland City v Boca Juniors June 26: Al Hilal v Pachuca Inter & Co Stadium (Orlando, Florida) Capacity: 25,000 Fixtures June 17: Ulsan v Mamelodi Sundowns June 20: Benfica v Auckland City Audi Field (Washington DC) Capacity: 20,000 Fixtures Travel time Having a tournament in a country as big as the US means there will be some long journeys involved. Most of the matches have been bunched together on the east coast of the country, with just two cities on the other side of the map getting to host games. Manchester City's schedule sees them go to Philadelphia for the first game against Wydad on June 18, then to Atlanta to face Al Ain four days later and finally to Orlando to take on Juventus four days after that in Group G. That is a fairly straightforward travel plan for Pep Guardiola's team, with flight times ranging from two to three hours. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, go from Los Angeles to Seattle and back for their group games against PSG, Seattle Sounders and Botafogo, with each trip upwards of three hours. MLS side Seattle Sounders get to play all their games at home, so don't travel at all. While it might be manageable for teams, fans will have to think twice about the matches they wish to attend. Those hoping to go from Seattle to Miami should be prepared for a six-hour flight. Similarly, LA to New York takes more than five-and-a-half hours by flight. Which means only the most ardent fans will want to travel to west coast, as a majority of the games take place on the eastern side of the country. Prize money The tournament has a staggering prize pool of $1 billion, with the winners standing to earn a cool $125 million. According to Fifa, around $525m has been set aside as guaranteed fees for teams taking part. That includes more than $38m for the top-ranked European teams. Apart from that, $475m has been earmarked for the matches, with $2m for winning group stage games, $7.5m for playing in the last 16 and $40m for the winners of the final.
