Bethany England has said she is hopeful fans will still watch the Lionesses despite the return of the Premier League overlapping with the business end of the World Cup.
The Premier League starts on Friday and Arsenal’s game against Nottingham Forest kicks off an hour into England’s World Cup quarter-final with Colombia on Saturday. James will not be available for that or a potential semi-final after her stamp on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie but could return for the final after Fifa’s disciplinary committee ruled that her actions were deemed as “serious foul play”, rather than “violent conduct”.
England, who put the Lionesses 1-0 ahead in the shootout against Nigeria after coming off the bench, is hoping that they can maintain that momentum.
“As we’ve seen over the last few years, and since the Euros especially, the numbers have grown in the women’s game – people’s interest and viewing figures. Hopefully we can still engage the fans enough to want to watch us.”
On Monday, 5.2 million watched England’s win over Nigeria on penalties on BBC One and a further 2.6 million streamed the game on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online. It was the largest UK audience of the World Cup.
“It’s not just because the men aren’t playing,” she said. “So hopefully we can continue that because we want to make sure those viewing numbers are as high as possible, whether they choose to watch the men’s game or not. We can’t affect that. We’re going to try to put out our best performance and give the fans something to watch and that they will want to keep coming back.”
England came off the bench and scored in the shootout win over Nigeria. With Alessia Russo having scored once and Rachel Daly being played at left-back or left wing-back, the Tottenham forward England is knocking on the door for a start. “Sarina [Wiegman] is the boss,” she says. “I am here to be a part of the team, whether it is starting or as a sub.
“I love playing football, I want to play as much football as I can at this tournament. If I get the minutes I will try to do everything I can and even if I don’t [get on the pitch], I will be there to be the No 1 fan for the girls that are.”
England admits she wants more, having moved to Tottenham in January in search of regular football to increase her chances of making the squad. “I fought quite hard to get a place on that plane. I wouldn’t say it was just a case of luck,” she said.
“We have an opportunity where we can go and do great things at this tournament. We have got an excellent group of players and in the forward positions we have got some excellent forwards, who have been scoring good goals.
“Competition is high, which is not a bad thing because it means there isn’t any complacency. All I can do is show up to training every day, push as hard as I can, and if that means that I get a start then great. And if it doesn’t, I am there for the girls no matter what.”
Last summer, she did not play a single minute of the Euros-winning campaign. “It was tough, but this has been very different. It’s been an amazing feeling and a very proud moment to have been able to have stepped on to the pitch for my national team in a major tournament. I remember having this conversation with some of the girls the other day, you think it’s the end of the world because you’ve not played your part, but you’re all playing your part.
“That’s what I had to learn for myself last year. It might have seemed, at the time, like it’s really difficult, but it really is worth it. If you keep persevering and pushing, good things come out of it. It’s important to recognise that whether you do play or you don’t, every single person matters just as much because without them the training standards wouldn’t be as high or everything else we need to approach every game.”
Next up is Colombia, who have lit up the tournament but had a behind-closed-doors friendly with the Republic of Ireland abandoned last month that left Ireland’s coach saying their players “feared for their bodies”.
“Every game is physical in its own way,” said England. “If it gets too physical, I’m sure that referees will step in when it comes in regards to the safety of players. The biggest danger is not to underestimate them. They beat Germany, who were one of the biggest teams in this tournament, so we just have to make sure we approach it in a good manner. “They can be physical, we can also be physical and match that … We’re here to play the game that we love and hopefully do it in a good, stylish way.”
