Lauren Hemp praises 'unbelievable' support for Lionesses

South Wales Argus

a day ago

The 24-year-old was ever-present in Sarina Wiegman's line-ups for the tournament and was able to soak in the support as England drove up to Buckingham Palace in their open-top bus.
With performances from Burna Boy and Heather Small, the party did not stop for the back-to-back European Championship winners who brought the celebrations, and football, home with them.
'We hope we made so many more fans proud of us. We know the support's been incredible,' said Hemp.
'As a group we all realise the difference it made to England and to football when we won the Euros in 2022. We hope for the same to happen again.
'I've had so many messages that my phone just keeps pinging. Thank you to everyone, I'll get back to you at some point.'
And just as the atmosphere on The Mall showed the support for the Lionesses back home, they had also enjoyed immense travelling support across Switzerland.
In Basel for England's penalty shootout victory over Spain, thousands flocked to be part of an hour-long fan walk that snaked through the city before witnessing the Lionesses lift the Euro 2025 final.
'[The support at the final] was incredible. Every time we went forward, you could hear the crowd and it was such a good atmosphere,' added Hemp.
'I couldn't even hear my teammates next to me, so it was unbelievable.'
That support and the resilience of the England team helped Hemp and her teammates over the line in a closely-matched final.
Spain had taken the lead through Arsenal's Mariona Caldentey in the 25th minute before Alessia Russo levelled after half-time.
With neither team able to find a breakthrough, it was to penalties once more for the Lionesses who had made a habit of leaving things late and putting fans through the ringer.
But despite the occasion, Hemp assured that the belief never wavered within the squad.
'The fight this team has shown from minute one of the tournament to now, it's incredible and it's nothing short of what this group deserves,' she said post-match.
'The grit, the determination we showed, it's not luck. It doesn't happen once, twice or three times for it to be luck. This is pure determination from this group.
'Whoever stepped up, we knew was going to score, but especially when Chloe stepped up for that fifth penalty, I knew it was going in and yeah, damn it did.'
Returning to London, Hemp was able to celebrate the history of an England team who have become the first senior team to win a major tournament on foreign soil.
And as Heather Small's rendition of 'Proud' rang out from in front of the Victoria Memorial, there could not be a better representation of the feelings at full-time in Basel.
'I was so speechless,' said Hemp. 'It's incredible and like I said, it's what this team deserves.
'We deserve to be winning all the time and it's incredible that it's not only happened once, it's happened twice and it's staying home and hopefully long may it continue.'