England 'lucky' to have Sarina Wiegman, says FA CEO Bullingham

South Wales Argus

2 days ago

Since her appointment in 2021, Wiegman has taken the Lionesses to three consecutive finals, having reached the previous two with the Netherlands.
It has left Bullingham full of praise for the Dutch manager who has transformed England's fortunes and won the Lionesses' first-ever piece of major tournament silverware in 2022.
'Her record individually is phenomenal. I feel we are lucky to have her - she's been incredible,' he said.
'Her record of managing five tournaments and reaching five finals is phenomenal. I don't believe anyone has been anywhere near that in the past, and it will be really hard to do in the future, so she's a really special coach.
'I also see the work she does with the players, the relationships she builds, the connections she builds are phenomenal.
'She normally, at least looks like, the coolest person in the stadium, and I have no doubt that helps at critical moments.'
It comes during a golden era for English football as a whole, with the men's and women's side now making five finals in the past five years.
That marks a stark contrast to the preceding 50 years of Three Lions and Lionesses fortunes where both sides struggled to provide such consistency or achievement on the international stage.
But England Women will compete for a second consecutive European Championship title when they face Spain in Basel on Sunday as they continue to prove their quality amongst the world's best.
'We're incredibly proud of [our recent record] and of course we still want to drive further,' said Bullingham.
'I have trouble explaining to my kids sometimes that this isn't normal, and I grew up hoping that we'd qualify for tournaments. So, it's a really exciting time to be an England fan.'
'Our hope is that success in this tournament will help inspire more positive momentum for the bid for the 2035 World Cup.
'There are a couple of the younger players here that can still be competing in 2035 and hopefully younger girls across the country will be looking at 2035 and thinking, 'What a fantastic opportunity for me.''
On the women's side much of that success can, of course, be linked to Wiegman's efforts as the Euro 2022 title came just a year after she was first appointed.
With the 2027 World Cup in Brazil on the horizon, after the small matter of a final encounter with Spain in Switzerland, Bullingham is certain that the Dutch coach will remain in post.
And even beyond that, the FA have no intention of letting their prized asset leave to manage a rival nation.
'She's not for sale at any price at all. We are committed to her until 2027, and she is committed to us. We've got a new team coming in to support her,' he said.
'We haven't quite started working on the plan for 2027, although we have started looking at some of the logistical aspects.
'But I know her focus, hopefully after a win on Sunday, will shift quite quickly to 2027.'
Despite Wiegman being in the minority of female coaches at the game, she will take charge opposite Spain's Montserrat Tome in the final.
It guarantees that a female coach will win the Euros for an eighth consecutive championship running. But despite their evident quality, there remains a lack of female coaches in the game.
Domestically, England also grapple with that disparity in their top league and down and it is an issue the FA are seeking to address, particularly in assisting English coaches into the game.
'One of the unintended consequences of money coming into the Women's Super League is that a lot more male coaches viewed it as a career they wanted to follow,' explained Bullingham.
'We need to make sure the opportunities are out there for female coaches because there is some super talent that just needs that opportunity.
'From an English point of view, obviously we've got Emma [Hayes], Gemma [Grainger], Casey [Stoney] competing at the international level. Of course, we want more of our top talent competing in the club game as well.
'We've rejigged our coaching structures a bit, led by Dan Ashworth, so we have got specific roles that work with the top talent in the men's and women's game because we have the same issue of making sure English talent gets opportunities in the men's game.'
But for now, all focus remains on Sunday's final and a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final that saw Spain beat England 1-0.
Bullingham will watch on for the culmination of a tournament that has been a true rollercoaster for the Lionesses.
'This team is special. There are definitely moments throughout the tournament where I've thought a few thoughts and uttered a few things,' he said.
'It's been an incredible journey. We want to go to that final stage, but you've got to give tribute to the coaches and players for how they've hauled themselves through in tough moments.'