Latest news with #Women'sEuros
Metro
5 hours ago
- General
- Metro
England star Fran Kirby announces international retirement before Euros
Fran Kirby has announced her retirement from international duty with immediate effect ahead of England's European Championship campaign. Just a month out from the Lionesses' opening group-stage contest against France, Kirby revealed her intention to depart the international stage with her 'head held high'. The 31-year-old attacking midfielder has been instrumental in England's progress over the last decade and was a part of Sarina Wiegman's squad that won the 2022 Women's Euros. But Kirby, who scored 19 goals in 77 appearances for her country, had been told she would not be a part of Wiegman's plans for this summer's tournament in Switzerland. 'It is something I have been thinking about for over a year,' Kirby told BBC Sport. More Trending 'I knew this was going to be my last major tournament. 'The plan was to retire after the Euros but after speaking to Sarina I'm not going to make the squad. 'It was like a dagger to my heart but also a weight off my shoulders all at the same time. It was emotional for both of us but we both respected what each person was saying.' More to follow. MORE: Karen Carney says England star will be 'disappointed' after defeat to Spain MORE: Lionesses icon blasts Mary Earps over 'awful' timing of shock England retirement MORE: Mary Earps announces shock retirement from England before European Women's Championship
Metro
6 hours ago
- General
- Metro
Karen Carney says England star will be 'disappointed' after defeat to Spain
Karen Carney says Hannah Hampton will be 'disappointed' not to have stopped the first of Claudia Pina's two goals after Spain came from behind to beat England to a place in the Nations League semi-finals. Alessia Russo fired past Cata Coll with a composed strike against the run of play to put the Lionesses in front after 22 minutes at Espanyol's RCDE Stadium. But an inspired Pina turned the game just moments after coming on in place of Salma Paralluelo, equalising for the hosts from a tight angle on the hour-mark. With 20 minutes remaining of the Nations League group-stage clash, Pina cut inside Missy Bo Kearns and struck a sumptuous effort beyond Hampton to make it 2-1 and complete the comeback. The world champions preserved their narrow advantage to advance through to the Nations League semi-finals, with Sarina Wiegman's side left to lick their wounds just a month out from the Women's Euros. Watching back Pina's leveller in the ITV studio, Carney criticised both Kearns and Jess Carter, before pointing the finger at England goalkeeper Hampton. 'She [Pina] has been on fire all season for Barcelona and I think she's more influential for them when she comes off the bench,' ex-England midfielder Carney said. 'What she did really well was never getting picked up. She ghosts into these spaces and she's always unattended. 'Does Kearns go to her? Does Jess Carter go to her? England don't clear their lines. First ball, second ball, that's the golden rule, especially around the centre of the pitch. 'I don't know if Hannah Hampton is caught blindsided by bodies in front of her… she gets a hand to it, but I think she'll look back and be disappointed because it's not right in the corner. 'But I am being hyper-critical because we're playing Spain and this is a game we have to look on that we might get in the semi-final or final of the Euros so it was a little bit disappointing to concede in that manner.' For the second goal, Carney's ITV colleague Anita Asante felt Kearns should have done a better job of showing Pina away from goal. 'It was pure quality. She's come on with immediate impact, she's done that for Spain time and time again,' Asante said. 'She's finds a pocket of space, waiting for the opportunity to get the ball, and she drops inside and just unleashes that shot, grazes it inside the post. 'It's a brilliant finish but with England, you can see the gaps are getting too big, there's no awareness of who is going to pressure. 'In that instance, Missy Bo Kearns just allows her to come back inside. Really, you want to show players like that outside and away from the goal. She had the whole goal to aim for. 'That just became a problem with some of the changes. They had a bit more fatigue and the gaps opened up.' England head coach Wiegman admitted there was room for improvement in the performance, viewing the match as a 'learning moment' in the build-up to the Euros. 'Concerned? That is a learning moment. I would not say concerned,' she explained. 'They did something different so you want to exploit the space that they leave in behind, but first you have to keep the ball. That is not easy. Something to take with us moving forward.' Wiegman defended Hampton's performance having put her faith in the Chelsea goalkeeper as her number one – a decision which prompted the shock retirement last Mary Earps month. 'She was put under a lot of pressure, as was the whole defence,' Wiegman added. 'There were many moments where there were a lot of players around her, a lot of crosses and a lot of runs in front of her. 'It was a good game for her experience.' MORE: Martin Zubimendi raises doubt over £50m Arsenal transfer after medical claim MORE: Mary Earps announces shock retirement from England before European Women's Championship MORE: Thomas Tuchel names Chelsea star 'steps ahead' of Harry Maguire after England snub
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
How World Sevens Football wants to transform women's game
Representative Image Women's football is experiencing a surge, breaking attendance records, drawing new investment and inspiring a new generation of players and fans. World Sevens Football (W7F) , a new seven-a-side series, aims to take advantage of this boom. It brings faster, more dynamic matches to fans worldwide while giving players an opportunity for a significant financial reward. However, the inaugural event, which will take place in Estoril, Portugal, from May 21-23, has drawn criticism for one participating club, Rosengard, disrupting the Swedish league schedule and the tournament adding to player workloads ahead of the Women's Euros in July. Created to redefine the women's game The idea for World Sevens Football came from the series' co-founders, entrepreneur Justin Fishkin and NY/NJ Gotham FC and Chelsea minority owner Jennifer Mackesy, with the latter having committed to an investment of $100 million (€88.7 million) over five years. They have not disclosed how much other shareholders may have invested. "This project has come from our (Fishkin's and Macksey's) shared passion for women's football and the new formats that are proliferating through various sports around the world," Fishkin told DW. The games are to feature two 15-minute halves on a pitch half the size of a standard 11-a-side field. The smaller pitch was set up within the multi-use Antonio Coimbra da Mota Stadium, including custom-made areas for fans, activations and entertainment to help differentiate the atmosphere from a regular football game. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Wrinkle Reducer Causes Frenzy At Woolworths In Cranbourne East Wrinkle Reducer | Search Ads Learn More Undo In an age of digital-first entertainment, Fishkin believes that the shorter format and smaller pitch, as has also been tried on the men's side, is ideally suited to attract younger fans. "The emerging sports fan globally is less inclined to sit down for 90 minutes and watch a game," he said. "Seven-a-side is made for social media. It's familiar, fast, and accessible." Putting players first One of the series' defining features is its player-centric approach. The Player Advisory Council is made up of current and former players, including Tobin Heath, Anita Asante and Caroline Seger. Seger, a two-time Olympic silver medalist with Sweden, told DW that the advisory council's purpose is to help shape player care and welfare and the competition strategy and make a positive long-term impact on the players and clubs. "It's very important to see it from the players' perspective, because normally everyone else is making decisions above the players' heads," she explained. "Anything, from traveling to the facilities, how the game should be played, what players want to eat after a game. Sometimes it's small things, but they're all important." Fishkin echoed the reasoning behind adopting the Player Advisory Council. "It was critical to us that this be a player-centric competition," he said. "We needed it to be designed by people who know and love the game." Fi nancial rewards significant Clubs will be allowed to bring a squad of 25, with 14 eligible to play per match. The tournament prize pool is $5 million, including $2.5 million for the winners. That is significantly more than the €1.4 million the Champions League victors will earn. The prize money for the top four teams will be divided between clubs and their players and staff, with the exact distribution determined by each club. The teams that finish fifth to eighth will receive a participation fee, and the tournament's organizers are to pay for each team's flights and accommodation. "You'll see that 40% of the prize monies are going directly to players and staff," Fishkin said. "We've had teams where captains have said, 'We wanted to make sure everyone (all first team players at the club) gets paid, not just the players that participate,' and that's being driven from the players up to management." Swedish league schedule clash The financial rewards drew immediate interest from the inaugural eight teams, which include Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Ajax and Roma. However, as World Sevens Football is a series that has not been sanctioned by either FIFA or UEFA and is therefore outside of the world football calendar, decisions on participation rest solely at the discretion of the clubs. With the competition not being part of the football calendar, Rosengard, a club in Sweden's top-flight league, had to request to move their first division league match against Hacken, which is scheduled for May 24, to participate in the inaugural event in Portugal. This has drawn criticism from Swedish league leaders Hammarby and former Swedish international defender Hanna Marklund.
DW
20-05-2025
- Business
- DW
World Sevens Football aiming to transform women's game – DW – 05/20/2025
World Sevens Football is a new seven-a-side format focused on global reach, player empowerment, and financial equity. However, the fast-paced new series is not without its critics. Women's football is experiencing a surge — breaking attendance records, drawing new investment, and inspiring a new generation of players and fans. Now World Sevens Football (W7F) , a new seven-a-side series, is aiming to take advantage of this boom. It is looking to bring faster, more dynamic matches to fans around the world, while giving players an opportunity for a significant financial reward. However, the inaugural event, which is to take place in Estoril, Portugal from May 21-23, has been criticized for disrupting the Swedish league schedule for participants Rosengard, as well as adding to player workloads ahead of the Women's Euros in July. Created to redefine the women's game The idea for World Sevens Football came from the series' co-founders, entrepreneur Justin Fishkin and NY/NJ Gotham FC and Chelsea minority owner Jennifer Mackesy, with the latter having committed to an investment of US $100 million (€88,7 million) over five years. They have not disclosed how much other shareholders may have invested. "This project has come from our (Fishkin and Macksey's) shared passion for women's football and the new formats that are proliferating through various sports around the world," Fishkin told DW. The games are to feature two 15-minute halves on a pitch half the size of a standard 11-a-side field. The smaller pitch was set up within the multi-use Antonio Coimbra da Mota Stadium, including custom-made areas for fans, activations and entertainment to help differentiate the atmosphere from a regular football game. In an age of digital-first entertainment, the shorter format and smaller pitch, as has also been tried on the men's side, is ideally suited to attract younger fans, Fishkin believes. "The emerging sports fan globally is less inclined to sit down for 90 minutes and watch a game," he said. "Seven-a-side is made for social media. It's familiar, fast, and accessible." Putting players first One of the series' defining features is its player-centric approach. The Player Advisory Council, is made up of current and former players, including names like Tobin Heath, Anita Asante and Caroline Seger. Former Swedish international Seger told DW the purpose of the advisory council was to help shape player care and welfare, the competition strategy, and make a positive long-term impact on the players and clubs. "It's very important to see it from the players' perspective, because normally everyone else is making decisions above the players' heads," she explained. "Anything, from travelling, to the facilities, how the game should be played, what players want to eat after a game. Sometimes it's small things but they're all important." Fishkin echoed the reasoning behind adopting the Player Advisory Council. "It was critical to us that this be a player-centric competition." he said. "We needed it to be designed by people who know and love the game." Financial rewards significant Clubs will be allowed to bring a squad of 25, with 14 being eligible to play per match. The tournament prize pool is $5 million, including $2.5 million for the winners – significantly more than the €1.4 million the Champions League victors are to earn. Georgia Stanway will feature for Bayern Munich in the inaugural World Sevens Football tournament Image: David Inderlied/Kirchner-Media/IMAGO The prize money for the top four teams is to be divided between clubs, and their players and staff, with the exact distribution determined by each club, while the teams that finish fifth to eighth will receive a participation fee, and the tournament's organizers are to pay for each team's flights and accommodation. "You'll see that 40% of the prize monies are going directly to players and staff," Fishkin said. "We've had teams where captains have said, 'We wanted to make sure everyone (all first team players at the club) gets paid, not just the players that participate.' and that's being driven from the players up to management.' Swedish league schedule clash The financial rewards drew immediate interest from the inaugural eight teams, which include Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Ajax and Roma. However, as World Sevens Football is a series that has not been sanctioned by either FIFA or UEFA and is therefore outside of the world football calendar, decisions on participation rest solely at the discretion of the clubs. With the competition not being part of the football calendar, Swedish club Rosengard have had to request to move their first division league match against Hacken that is scheduled for May 24, to participate in the inaugural event in Portugal. This has drawn criticism from Swedish league leaders Hammarby, as well as former Swedish international defender Hanna Marklund. "I perceive it as frivolous if you do not fully invest in the women's league," Marklund told Swedish national broadcaster SVT. "It's positive that interest in women's football is increasing, but it's important to find the right time for tournaments like this. Moving a league match to play a seven-a-side tournament is not something I see as an okay reason." The Swedish side are the only team to face this issue for the inaugural event, with most other domestic European leagues having finished their seasons in mid-May. Whether this problem will crop up again, remains to be seen. Organizers hope to hold a second tournament late this year, but neither dates nor location have been confirmed. 'The tables have turned' While questions remain, including over ticket sales and how much interest has been generated for fans in an already bloated football calendar, Seger said the biggest draw for her to being involved with World Sevens football was the feeling she was working with "allies" wanting to promote women's football. "I wanted to work with people that feel the same way (about women's football), so I don't have to always fight my way through," Seger said. "The tables have turned, and you don't have to fight as hard. Even if there's still a long way to go, it's a lot easier today than 20 years ago." Edited by: Chuck Penfold
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
England and Wales fans offered half-price hotels for Women's Euros this summer
England and Wales fans have been offered 50% off on their hotels and accommodation if travelling to Switzerland for the Women's Euros this summer. the official accommodation partner of the competition, has announced a half-price deal for hotel rooms, homes and apartments in Switzerland. It comes as research from the booking site has found 79% of 2,000 people surveyed said they would love to follow their team to Switzerland this year. However, (77%) have never seen their side play live in an international tournament, citing the cost of travelling to tournaments as the biggest barrier (34%), followed by lack of time (20%) and family commitments (13%). Therefore, travellers can claim 50% of their accommodation costs back by using the specially created promo code 'Footy50' when booking their accommodation in Switzerland in July. This offer will be active from Tuesday, May 20 and will count for stays in Switzerland lasting anytime between July 1-28. Full terms and conditions can be found on the website here. has also teamed up with former England player and pundit Karen Carney to get the word out. She said: "There's nothing like travelling to support the team you love. Not only do you get to experience the magic of the game live, but you get to explore new places and create new memories while you're there! "The team has inspired a new generation of fans, and I'm proud to be working with to get more people to see the game live this summer.' Ryan Pearson, Regional Manager, UK at said: 'As the official accommodation partner of UEFA Women's EURO 2025, we are proud to help more people experience the tournament live- many for the first time. Recommended reading: Pubs across the country to stay open longer this summer - but on one condition Gary Lineker to leave Match of the Day at end of the season after 26 years See the 10 stadiums in the UK and Ireland that will host Euro 2028 matches "Our research shows the passion for the game, but that sometimes other commitments and costs can get in the way. "Today we have launched 50% back on accommodation in Switzerland this July - perfect for those who have never experienced an international game - while also ensuring they can enjoy another well-earned break this year.' England and Wales are both in Group D for the Women's Euros this summer, with France and the Netherlands making up the other spots.
