Latest news with #GeorgiaStanway
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Wiegman optimistic Lauren James will be fit for Lionesses' squad at Euro 2025
Sarina Wiegman spoke positively about Lauren James' chances of being fit enough to play at this summer's European Championship, as she prepares to name her final squad of 23 players for the tournament on Thursday. The Chelsea forward has been sidelined since sustaining a hamstring injury in April during a victory for England at home to Belgium at Ashton Gate, and her involvement in July's Euros in Switzerland has been in doubt, but on Tuesday night Wiegman appeared more than optimistic. 'With LJ [James], she is of course on the pitch [training], she is still in the position that we expect her to be, so she's progressing in the rehab and that's going really well, so I'm positive about that.' Wiegman also offered an encouraging update on the return to full fitness of England's Bayern Munich midfielder Georgia Stanway, who made her first start in 2025 after recovering from a knee injury when she was in the starting lineup for Tuesday's 2-1 loss against Spain. Stanway was withdrawn at half-time but Wiegman clarified that the 26-year-old had not suffered a setback, saying: On Stanway: 'No [she does not have an injury], she's in a very good place. 'But she hasn't played for such a long time – Friday's were her first minutes after she'd been training, of course. She could play [only for] 45 minutes. I think she wanted to play more, of course, she always wants to play more, she's in such a good place, but I think this was very smart [to substitute her] to take care of her.' Wiegman also paid tribute to Fran Kirby, after the Brighton forward's sudden announcement of her retirement, adding: 'First of all I love working with her [Kirby]. She has had an incredible career and it is still going on in the WSL. She's an amazing player and an incredible person too. 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 'She did everything to make the squad. Fran and I have had several conversations. I had conversations with her over this week again, looking forward to this game and I said to her that she most likely would not make the squad, even though things could change quickly. We had these honest conversations.'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Blackburn Rovers pull out of Women's Championship due to league demands
Image Source: Getty Blackburn Rovers have confirmed their withdrawal from the FA Women's Championship due to being unable to fund their squad as a professional side. The club is now in discussions with the FA Women's National League board regarding the level of the women's football pyramid that the team will be operating in next season, with a decision to be confirmed in due course over the coming weeks. Financial challenges and league requirements The move comes after the recent rebranding of the Women's Championship, which, from next season, will require its clubs to run fully professional sides with increased support and facilities in order to protect player welfare and the integrity of competition. The increased demands on clubs are taking a huge toll financially, especially on smaller clubs. While the effort to save the club is in vain, league officials and other interested parties did what they could to help out Blackburn, who blamed unviable financial pressure for the situation, including ballooning wage bills and reliance on matchday revenue. Rovers cited further problems of stagnant home crowds, despite playing their matches at Ewood Park. There have been some grim reports of the club's financial shortcomings, with players on part-time contracts just being paid the minimum wage, which has brought public criticism from former players and leading figures in the sport. Players were also notified of the withdrawal via WhatsApp, underscoring communication problems in the club. Also Read: FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur suffer two cup exits in a week after fourth-round defeat to Aston Villa Impact on players and future prospects The withdrawal has left players, coaches, and staff in limbo. Defender Niamh Murphy expressed her frustration on social media, revealing that management had issued a seven-day deadline for securing funding and criticizing the ongoing lack of financial support from the club. The team, which is coming off a 10th-place finish in the division despite having one of the smaller budgets, has a proud tradition of developing talents such as Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, and Keira Walsh. The club's exit from the Championship has come in the wake of a similar announcement from Reading FC Women last year, which also cited financial pressures and an inability to comply with regulations. Such changes highlight the wider pressure point on women's football clubs to remain financially viable with higher professionalisation requirements. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Georgia Stanway opens up her race against time to make Euro 2025 after England star's gruelling recovery from injury - and her unusual creative side hustle
After months of anxious waiting, England fans were given a reason to smile last week when the news broke that Georgia Stanway is due to return to the Lionesses squad. A cornerstone of Sarina Wiegman 's midfield and ever-present during the 2023 World Cup, Stanway has been sidelined since January after suffering a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury to her right knee during training with Bayern Munich. Now, speaking for the first time since her recall, the 26-year-old lifts the lid on her gruelling rehabilitation journey amidst a race against time to be fit for England's Euros title defence this summer. 'Rehab was emotionally, mentally and physically battering,' she tells Mail Sport. 'You don't realise the toll that it takes on you until you are in it. There were weeks where I never did anything socially or with my teammates outside of football because I was just tired 24/7. 'Obviously post-surgery, you're just in the gym because that's the biggest time that you can work on the deficits. I think for me the Euros was always in my mind, that's something that I wanted to work towards.' Since her surgery at the end of January, Stanway has undergone 70-80 rehab sessions, focusing not only on her knee but also strengthening her entire body. And in particularly positive news to those with the hopes of watching Wiegman's side lift another major trophy this summer, Stanway says: 'Based on test results, I'm fitter and stronger than I've probably been in a very long time.' Although Stanway wasn't involved in Bayern Munich's final title push, she fully embraced the celebrations – joining Harry Kane in singing 'Sweet Caroline' atop a balcony in Munich's Marienplatz, clad in traditional lederhosen, as both the men's and women's teams celebrated their respective league triumphs. As for the Lionesses, they have faced consistency issues in recent months, exacerbated by the extended absences of Stanway and Manchester City duo Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood - who have both also been named for the upcoming Nations League fixtures. But Stanway is keen to clarify that her call-up was not a hasty decision. 'Of course, people will say I've not been able to play a game but that's unfortunately due to the timing in which the injury happened and the Bayern season ending last weekend meant that I wasn't quite ready. If we were to play this weekend, it would be another story. Hence why I am available for the Nations League. I know that I've still got a lot of time, I've got a lot of time to get back to the level (I was at). 'I'm in full contact training, everything's normal for me. It's been nice to be back with the girls, and I've got just under two weeks of solid training to try and do my best to get some minutes. 'And if I'm not fully at it by the Nations League, I've still got probably four weeks until the Euros begin. But yeah, that's my aim is to be fully fit and at the level by the Euros, and then it's up to Sarina, whether she picks me or not.' As for staying fit over the next few weeks, does that include turning out for Bayern at the inaugural World Sevens Tournament - the new 'grand slam' series of seven-a-side games which is set to feature her Lioness teammates Mary Earps and Ella Toone later this week? 'No, I'm not going to play,' Stanway says. 'I could play but I don't want to risk it. I know that Sevens is a completely different environment, and to be honest, I'd probably get far too competitive. We're all going to travel which is pretty cool, and support the ones that will play, but I'll be in training like normal.' Despite being sidelined, Stanway was an enthusiastic participant in her title celebrations Despite the gruelling nature of her training regime, Stanway has also used the time away from playing football to hone her tattooing craft, a pastime she has described as 'therapeutic' for her. Not only that, but the England No. 8 says that she's open for business. 'For the last few weeks I've probably tattooed two to three people a week, which is pretty cool. At one point I didn't have any clients, so I ended up tattooing all of my left leg, because that was the only leg that I could reach as I had a brace on the other leg. 'It's kept me at peace really. It's given me something else that I can focus on. The feeling when you've tattooed something and you enjoy your creation, it's like football. 'The satisfaction of having a good game or the satisfaction of scoring or the team winning. You can almost replicate that in tattooing - the fact that somebody gives you the reaction that they enjoy what you've done on their skin.' Stanway says she is keen to bring her tattooing equipment into the England camp but there's a few 'rules and regulations' she needs to check first. 'A few people have already offered for me to tattoo them. There's quite a lot of the team that have got them already. Lucy Bronze has spoken about it, but to be honest, I think I could find clients easily.' Stanway spoke to Mail Sport as part of her partnership with Celsius energy drinks - another essential she says she'll be bringing with her to camp. 'I've always been a big fan of energy drinks, I'd always have one before a game and I like everything Celsius stand for in terms of making sure that you're focused in every aspect of life. For me whether it's in my sport, whether I'm tattooing, whether you just need that extra push going into training, I get that from Celsius.' As for her hopes for England's huge summer ahead? 'Like we've done in previous tournaments, we take each game as it comes, we don't get too carried away. We try and keep all the noise in-house and nothing gets in, nothing gets out kind of thing. We do have a target on our back. We want to go under the radar, just do our job, and then see what happens at the end of it.'
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
England captain Harry Kane sings 'Sweet Caroline' as Bayern Munich star celebrates Bundesliga title - after finally ending trophy drought
Harry Kane revelled in Bayern Munich 's Bundesliga title celebrations this weekend, as the England captain belted out 'Sweet Caroline' in front of the German fans. Kane finally lifted the first trophy of his career last week at the Allianz Arena, after Bayern pipped title rivals Bayer Leverkusen to Bundesliga glory, earning the Bavaria club their 12th Bundesliga title in 13 seasons. The England captain scored his 25th league goal in another stellar season for Bayern, who cruised to a 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach last week to put the gloss on a title triumph that was confirmed before the game. And as is the tradition for Bayern, their public celebration of the major title saw them take to the central square in Munich in front of thousands of fans. Bayern's title parade saw them travel through the city and culminated in a celebration where each of the players lifted the Bundesliga trophy on the balcony of the New Town Hall in Marienplatz. And as Kane celebrated his long-awaited achievement, he sang along to 'Sweet Caroline', which was blasted out of the speakers. it's finally here, sweet caroline sung by harry and georgia 🔥 — michelle (6x 🏆) (@miasankane) May 18, 2025 Kane was joined by fellow countrywoman Georgia Stanway, who plays for Bayern's women's team in the Frauen-Bundesliga. The attacking midfielder was pivotal in the women's side's success this season, which saw them also win their league. After ending a 15-year wait to win a trophy in his senior career, Kane revealed his first team honour trumped the feeling of winning individual awards, the latter of which he has earned a plethora. 'It's been a long time coming,' Kane said, after he had been drenched in beer by teammates. 'It means more than any of the goalscoring awards, for sure. There's no secret that there has been this one thing that has been missing from my resume. 'It was a weight on my shoulders and now it's been lifted. I've had plenty of individual accolades and been close on so many occasions to trophies, but for one reason or another, it hasn't quite worked. 'When you go through a season, the ups and downs, the work, the training, all together with the team, with the staff, you, to have this release and have this kind of celebration at the end, I've never been able to have that before. It was just so nice to have that moment.'
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Glitzy rebrand cannot mask grim reality in women's second tier
There was a sense of Groundhog Day when Blackburn Rovers player Niamh Murphy shared on social media that the club's owners are not likely to support the women's team financially next season. A little under a year ago, Reading withdrew their women's team from the second tier because of financial pressures on the men's side. A final decision on Blackburn's position is yet to be made, but the club are understood to have until the start of next week to commit to financing the women's team. While Blackburn are yet to comment on the situation, the statement posted by Murphy and other Blackburn players said: 'Today we were made aware that there is a 99 per cent chance that the club's owners won't be financially supporting the team next season. The club have been given a seven-day deadline to state their intention to financially support the team and if this isn't signed then the club will be forced to drop out [of] the Championship/WSL2.' Blackburn, who helped produce England players Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone, have had on-going problems for some time. They are understood to have started pre-season for the 2024-25 campaign with a budget of just £100,000, while players were told they would be operating on 16-hour contracts worth just £9,000 a year. It was clear this was not going to be sustainable and would not conform to the new licensing requirements, which are understood to include a salary floor, as Telegraph Sport outlined in March. Across the pyramid, there is little surprise at Blackburn's plight. But for it to come 24 hours after a glitzy rebrand of the top two tiers only emphasises the issues in the women's game. On Monday, the Women's Professional Leagues Limited – the company in charge of the top two divisions – announced it will now be called Women's Super League Football (WSL Football). As part of the rebrand, the Championship will be called Women's Super League 2 (WSL2). All of the above and the new logo – or 'visual identity' as it was described – was revealed in a one-minute promotional video on social media. It would be an understatement to say the reaction of fans was underwhelming. We're not just a league. We're a movement. This is the new era of Women's Super League Football. #BarclaysWSL #BarclaysWSL2 — Barclays WSL 2 (@BarclaysWSL2) May 12, 2025 Whether you like or despise the font or find the 'pitch please' and 'I kick balls for a living' stickers used in the promotional video cringe-worthy, the rebrand is essentially a distraction. The grim reality is that the second tier of women's football has far greater problems than whether it is called the Championship or WSL2. Clubs are repeatedly being asked to invest more money without assurances over a future return. Participation money in the second tier is not increasing for next season. The League Cup, now sponsored by Subway, will be worth more than in previous campaigns but several clubs have told Telegraph Sport that they are unlikely to see any real benefit. Owners need incentive to invest Club owners should rightly be at the centre of discussions when it comes to investment in women's football. Former Blackburn players have regularly spoken on social media about a lack of resources and it is clear they have repeatedly been let down. Elsewhere, Wolves were the subject of criticism for failing to apply for a WSL2 licence despite the club having gone into the final day of the season with a chance of promotion. Too often, players are not protected and there is perhaps a wider question around whether there needs to be a fit-and-proper test for those who own women's football clubs. Aside from that, owners need to be given an incentive to invest, especially those not connected to huge Premier League clubs. The league will point to the fact that London City Lionesses were promoted to the WSL following a huge investment from their owner Michele Kang, who also owns American side Washington Spirit and French club Lyon. But not every club in the second tier can compete with the millions Kang invested and it is unreasonable to expect them to when women's football is still early into its professional era. It will be an extremely poor look if Blackburn follow in Reading's footsteps by withdrawing from the league. Many have feared this was coming, and the club and the league should have made a decision by now. The consequences do not just affect Blackburn, with relegated Sheffield United waiting to hear whether they will be given a reprieve. The club have been planning for tier-three football and need to know sooner rather than later which division they will be playing in or they will be at a disadvantage. In her statement on social media, Blackburn player Murphy said: 'I have been a @RoversWFC player for three seasons and the only consistency there has been is the lack of financial support from the club. We deserve better.' The stark reality of that statement might not fit with the flashy, ultra-positive messaging in the WSL's rebrand, but it should focus the minds of everyone working in women's football.
