Page 17 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.9 2020-21

England Women are to welcome Northern Ireland and Canada in February and April respectively
as they begin preparations for the home UEFA Women’s EURO Finals next year.
Newly appointed assistant coach Hege Riise will lead the Lionesses into their first official
fixture in almost a year when they face fellow home nation Northern Ireland on Tuesday 23rd
February (12.30pm kick off). The match will be played behind closed doors at the home of England
football teams, St. George’s Park.
England last faced Northern Ireland back in 2008 when the two sides met in a UEFA
European Women's Championship qualifier in which the Lionesses won after goals from the
nation’s all-time record appearance maker, Fara Williams and former captain Faye White.
Northern Ireland have hit a good run of form, winning their last four Women’s EURO
qualifiers, sealing second place in their group and a spot in the play-offs for the rescheduled
tournament, due to begin in June 2022.
England will then look to welcome Canada during the April international window on
Tuesday 13th April with a venue and kick off time still to be confirmed. The match will mark a
return for former England Women’s assistant coach Bev Priestman, who left the Lionesses in
October to become Head Coach of Canada Women. The nations last met back in April 2019, in
which Canada won 1-0.
With the FA continuing to work with the Government to get fans back into stadiums as soon
as is safe to do so, any ticketing arrangements will be communicated to supporters when relevant.
In the meantime, the Northern Ireland fixture later this month will be available to watch on
BBC iPlayer and Red Button.

If your clubs in the Essex area would like to grow new women’s and girls’ teams, or want to find out
more about what an ideal ‘female friendly’ environment looks like, then book a place on one of the
FA’s online ‘Female Friendly Clubs’ Training.
Various sessions are taking place during March and April, featuring an interactive
workshop for club committee members and coaches which will provide practical advice to help
create the right club environment to grow female participation.
Attendees will develop existing understanding of off-pitch and on-pitch considerations and
discuss real life case study examples to help build a ‘Gameplan For Growth’. The training is across
two modules and all sessions run from 7pm-8.30pm.
You can book onto the workshop at www.essexfa.com. Information on female football is
also shared on Twitter by @EssexCountyFA and by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.
Available Module Dates:
Module 1: Tuesday 2nd March,
Module 2: Thursday 4th March (London Region)
Module 1: Tuesday 20th April,
Module 2: Wednesday 21st April (South Region)
Module 1: Monday 26th April,
Module 2: Thursday 29th April (East Region)

BARCLAYS FA WSL FA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Arsenal v Manchester City (2.30pm) Blackburn Rovers v Crystal Palace
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (Sat 12.30pm) Charlton Athletic v Liverpool
Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion Coventry Utd v Lewes
Everton v Birmingham City London Bees v Sheffield Utd
Manchester Utd v Reading FC Women (12.30pm) London City Lionesses v Durham Women (12pm)
West Ham Utd v Bristol City (3pm)
Issue no. 9 - 4 February 2021 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk