“There will be nerves,” said the captain. “We’re aware of the expectation, but through the camp it’s all about enjoying it.” Sarina Wiegman echoed that and said it would be strange for her team not to feel nervous and excited. “We know the tournament starts tomorrow and we’ve been waiting a long time for it,” the manager said. “It’s an exciting time and it would be very strange if we weren’t excited. We’re just doing the same things we always do: just focusing on our style of play as individuals and as a team.” Expectations are high. England is the most invested national team in Europe and the Gameplan for Growth strategy launched by the Football Association in 2017 targeted the team’s success at Euro 2022 or the 2023 World Cup. Williamson said the team was “in a great position” despite the game-manager that began with the departure of Phil Neville for Inter Miami’s men’s team in January 2021. “We’ve put in work over the last few weeks, we’ve ticked the boxes we needed to tick, but we also know what a big time the summer is,” he said. “We know what it is, we know what to expect and we’re ready for it. Everyone has their own things in place to be able to deal with it. Pressure is a privilege, so it’s something we embrace and go with it – it’s part of the job.” Speculation remains as to where Williamson will play, as Wiegman has experimented with her in midfield and in the centre-back berth she holds for Arsenal. “I want to be on the pitch playing for England,” Williamson said when asked where she wanted to play. “I’ve never played in a European league, so for me it’s enough to get on the pitch for England.” Wigman would not be drawn to where the captain will line up. “I think he can play both, midfield and defence,” he said. More than 517,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament, more than double the 240,000 sold for Euro 2017 in the Netherlands. In a pre-tournament briefing, the FA’s director of women’s football, Baroness Sue Campbell, highlighted the opportunity it offers to promote the game across the continent. “As well as trying to break all the records in terms of making this an iconic event, we also fully recognize that the women’s game is growing across Europe and this is a fantastic opportunity to really take it to the next level,” he said. he said. The FA’s head of tournament delivery, Chris Bryant, said “we want this tournament to be everywhere” as they push to break even more records. For Williamson, “everywhere” meant seeing her face on drinks bottles, crisp packets and, most recently, being projected onto Tower Bridge. “Yeah, it’s not normal, is it?” said the 25-year-old. “But it’s good, it means our visibility as a team and the women’s game is being recognised, as it should be. It’s weird, but it’s good.” In 2013 UEFA’s current head of women’s football, Nadine Kessler, won the European Championship with Germany. The conditions for women players at that time were a far cry from what the players who participated in this tournament faced. “It’s completely incomparable,” Kessler said. “I might have to be a bit provocative, but I think in my day people were more concerned about whether the shirt fit them than the actual outcome of the match. Well, we’ve come a long way. People are treated like proper athletes and it is a profession for more than a few. There has been a huge change in culture and mindset.”
