As someone who resides in London but hails from Yorkshire, I enjoy a trip to the north of the country for an England game. It was nice to see the Lionesses play at Newcastle’s St James’ Park for the first time and the atmosphere of a northeast crowd never disappoints. But forgive me, for I am about to sound like a converted Londoner. Sarina Wiegman’s side have perhaps reached the point where Wembley should be considered their permanent home.
I am not suggesting that England would have beaten France had the game been played at Wembley, but there is perhaps something to be said for the importance of familiarity. It is doubtful whether any England players will have played at St James’ before last Friday, whereas Wembley has become something of a fortress for Wiegman’s team.
They have never lost there during her reign and there is an argument that playing at what is considered the national stadium is more intimidating for opposition teams.
England have historically travelled around the country for matches, and it is something players and Wiegman have said they enjoy doing. In recent years it has allowed them to grow their audience in different cities. But that was perhaps more important both before and in the immediate aftermath of Euro 2022.
The men’s team play the majority of their games at Wembley, with a handful of other matches dotted around the country.
Wembley was the site of England’s greatest achievement as the Lionesses won the Women’s European Championship on home soil
England were beaten at St James’ Park by France despite taking the lead through Beth Mead
There is an argument that this is the approach the Lionesses should adopt. The games against ‘bigger opposition’ and important qualifying fixtures should be played at Wembley, with the opportunity for friendlies or games against lower-ranked nations taking place in different parts of the country.
Those games that are not at Wembley should also be, ideally, in a city that is relatively easy for most of the country to get to.
There can be issues with the availability of Wembley during the summer months due to it being concert season, hence why England are playing the Republic of Ireland at Norwich City’s Carrow Road in July.
There is nothing wrong with Carrow Road and Norwich should be commended for putting themselves forward to host a national team game, but it is not the easiest place to get to at 8pm on a Friday night.
England are not the only country to host matches in slightly out-of-the-way locations. The Lionesses play France in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday, which is about as easy to get to as Norwich.
Scotland are one of the few countries to have a permanent home in that they play all of their fixtures at Hampden Park. The slight irony is that they are probably not yet at the point where that is beneficial to them, due to attendances being significantly lower than what we see for Lionesses matches.
Scotland would probably benefit more from travelling around the country to, as the cliche goes, ‘grow the game’. England are at a point where you expect them to sell out most stadiums they play in. Their attendances at Wembley have been strong, even when they only had three weeks to sell tickets for their game against Sweden, who are perhaps not as ‘exciting’ opposition as a Germany or a Spain, there was a crowd of over 63,000.
We constantly hear managers talk about the importance of fine details like being familiar with facilities, pitches and routines. Even if having Wembley as a more permanent home would give the Lionesses a tiny advantage against opposition teams, it is perhaps something that is worth considering.
Norwich should be commended for
It was nice to see the Lionesses play at Newcastle’s St James’ Park for the first time and the atmosphere of a northeast crowd never disappoints
The games against ‘bigger opposition’ and important qualifying fixtures should be played at Wembley
Trips to London are expensive for families who live outside of the capital but having friendlies or matches against lower-ranked opposition in different parts of the country would still allow supporters other opportunities to watch their heroes in action.
It had seemed over the top that Scotland’s game with Israel had to take place behind closed doors due concerns over planned protests.
Ironic, then, that despite the ban on supporters, a protestor still managed to make their way onto the pitch to chain themselves to the goalposts, causing a 30-minute delay to kick-off.
Emma Hayes and Jurgen Klopp had both talked about being exhausted by management in England. Just two weeks after stepping away from their jobs at Chelsea and Liverpool and both coaches already look more refreshed.
Hayes, who has been decked out in United States gear since her move across the pond, looked energetic and pumped up during her side’s 4-0 victory over South Korea on Saturday while Klopp equally looked buoyant as he watched the Champions League final at Wembley.
Emma Hayes spoke of becoming exhausted by management in England and already looks refreshed since taking up her role with the USWNT
HUMAN TOUCHES LIKE THIS ARE WHY ENGLAND MATTER
England’s classy tribute to 10-year-old Leah Harrison, who tragically died earlier this month, was another reminder of how much this team resonates with the country.
Harrison loved football and had grown up dreaming of being a Lioness and the Football Association made sure she was honoured in England’s game against France.
Captain Leah Williamson walked out at St James’ Park with a shirt that had ‘Harrison’ on the back and held it up during the national anthems. The shirt was then put on display alongside a bouquet of flowers behind the dugouts while the whole stadium took part in a minute’s applause during the 10th minute.
England’s players are role models for so many young girls up and down the country and their tribute was touching.
