England players are electing to stay off social media for the duration of the upcoming Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Lionesses will make the trip down under on Wednesday ahead of their group opener against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. Wiegman's side are among the favourites to go all the way at this summer's tournament and the Dutchwoman is keen to ensure her charges aren't distracted by any outside noise in the coming weeks.
That is something the players are taking seriously themselves, and the players are understood to have elected to come off their own personal socials during the duration of the tournament. They will, however, continue to share content through England Women's official channels.
A blackout has also been imposed on commercial activity, with several players expected to temporarily delete social media apps as preparations for the tournament ramp up. A similar commercial ban was implemented last year for the Euros, which Wiegman's side went on to win.
The self-imposed measures have been put in place to prevent outside distractions from infiltrating the England camp and protect players from social media abuse.
Last year, a HateLab report revealed that 92 per cent of the Lionesses team received targeted hate speech on social media platforms in the run-up to and during the Euros. 96 per cent of the hate speech identified was misogynistic, while four per cent was homophobic.
In the aftermath of the 2019 Women's World Cup, England midfielder Keira Walsh opened up about how the online abuse she received during the tournament nearly made her quit football altogether.
“I thought about not playing again,” she told FourFourTwo. “I had conversations with my managers at the time, and if it wasn’t for [then-Manchester City boss] Nick Cushing, I think it would have been a lot more serious of a thought. He really understood me and got the best out of me.
“He said, ‘Let’s take it one training session at a time. There’s no pressure – I only want you to enjoy your football’. Just having that conversation helped. I came off social media – I still don’t read Twitter now – and spoke to a psychologist, which helped so much."
Walsh has credited that psychologist - Kate Green - with with helping her reach her optimum at levels at 2022. However, the England players' move will hopefully prevent stars from having to encounter similar experiences this summer.
