:00:38. > :00:45.Football Show, two days until kick-off at Euro 2013, and England
:00:45. > :00:51.are ready. Runners-up last time, can hope
:00:51. > :00:57.how's lionesses go one better this time? Will Sweden thrive on the
:00:57. > :01:03.expectation of a nation? We investigate the ongoing controversy
:01:03. > :01:08.surrounding Doncaster's demotion. And, the FA celebrates 20 years of
:01:08. > :01:11.running women's football with Kick Off Your Career.
:01:11. > :01:20.I am delighted to say we have a wealth of international experience
:01:20. > :01:27.this evening, 183 caps tween Faye White and Sue Smith. It is with the
:01:27. > :01:28.current team that we begin, hope Powell's team have arrived in Sweden
:01:28. > :01:36.to go one better than four years ago.
:01:36. > :01:42.You have to go into a tournament thinking you are capable of winning.
:01:42. > :01:49.I have visualised it, I have dreamt about it. We think we can go far.
:01:49. > :01:55.have got to prove we are good enough. The belief is there. We can
:01:55. > :02:00.excite the nation. We can play against the best teams in Europe.
:02:00. > :02:06.Our ambition is to do as well as we possibly can, we know that we got to
:02:06. > :02:12.the final in 2009. Maybe we were happy with just getting to the
:02:12. > :02:17.final, we did not really believe we could win. We have to win every
:02:17. > :02:22.match if we want to get to the final and when. We have got to face our
:02:22. > :02:28.opposition first, Spain, Russia and France, all hard games, so we will
:02:28. > :02:34.have to be on top form. Spain are a fantastic team, people would not tip
:02:34. > :02:39.them as favourites, but they play fantastic football, it is difficult
:02:39. > :02:48.to play them against, that is why we played Japan in a warmup game.
:02:48. > :02:57.Russia, very disciplined, they are a tournament team. We went 2-0 down in
:02:57. > :03:03.2009, we came back to win 3-2, so we know we can beat them. We played
:03:03. > :03:12.France in November, it was a tough game. We have got a lot of players
:03:12. > :03:17.who play with each other every week. It will be a tough test. Up until we
:03:17. > :03:21.lost to Sweden, we were doing OK. They are a good side, the home
:03:21. > :03:27.nation, but we did not play how we can play. If we had done things
:03:27. > :03:31.differently, we could have beaten them. If we had not lost against
:03:31. > :03:41.them, would have thought we were fine, and we could be comfortable,
:03:41. > :03:41.
:03:41. > :03:47.but perhaps this is a humbling experience. The fact that we were in
:03:47. > :03:52.the WSL season, you are bound to pick up injuries, unfortunately.
:03:52. > :03:58.That is what you have a squad of 23. We are not the only squad that have
:03:58. > :04:04.had severe injuries, we are fortunate that our injuries seem to
:04:04. > :04:09.be ending. She can look at the bench and put any player on and know that
:04:09. > :04:16.they can do a job. We have five women's international teams now,
:04:16. > :04:18.there is more quality, the fact we have got eight teams in the top WSL
:04:18. > :04:26.division means that the competition is tough, and that helps the
:04:26. > :04:33.international team. Hopefully, we will gain fans, football fans.
:04:33. > :04:37.People who enjoy watching good football. There are some serious
:04:37. > :04:42.contenders, and I would like to think we are one of them. There is
:04:42. > :04:46.no bigger honour than playing for England. We will battle for
:04:46. > :04:53.everything, we will give 100%. is what we show when we play
:04:53. > :04:59.football, character and effort, to do England proud. We will give
:04:59. > :05:09.absolutely everything we have got to get results, because we want to win.
:05:09. > :05:16.Confirmation of England's opponents. How are they going to do? I think
:05:16. > :05:20.they have got a good chance. They have got a strong squad. My only
:05:20. > :05:25.concern is the injuries, and a lot of key players are injured, will
:05:25. > :05:29.they be fit enough to play? They have got a chance of progressing
:05:29. > :05:37.onto the next stage, but we have got to believe in England. If all of the
:05:37. > :05:43.players are fit, but the star player is Kelly Smith, she is struggling.
:05:43. > :05:47.Yes, she has always had a lot of injuries, and it is not the first
:05:47. > :05:54.time she is coming back from an injury, but she is experienced, you
:05:54. > :06:00.would want her in your squad even if she is only 50% fit. She can score
:06:00. > :06:07.top quality goals. The other thing, the opposition fear her, she can
:06:07. > :06:13.produce moments of magic. But now, another benefit, the team can play
:06:13. > :06:19.without her, so maybe as an impact player. They will have to, at least
:06:19. > :06:23.to start with. Who else can score the goals? Is a team wants to
:06:23. > :06:30.progress, you need to have goals from everywhere, and England have
:06:30. > :06:35.Fara Williams, she can score from long distance, also, Ellen White,
:06:35. > :06:42.who made an impact in the World Cup, she scored against Japan, and she
:06:42. > :06:46.has got better and better, she is scoring goals in the WSL. There are
:06:46. > :06:56.lots of players that can score goals, the second one is any Loko, a
:06:56. > :06:57.
:06:57. > :07:02.fantastic layer. -- Eniola Aluko. She can finish. We have seen
:07:02. > :07:08.different finishes through the WSL. A fantastic player. Ten, Toni
:07:08. > :07:13.Duggan, she has got youth on her side, natural ability, she
:07:13. > :07:20.pressurises really well. She has got no fear. She can be an impact
:07:20. > :07:25.player. She could come on and change the game and hopefully then start
:07:25. > :07:30.later in the tournament. Somebody with plenty of experience, Rachel
:07:30. > :07:38.Yankey made history with her 120th cap against Japan. Could she be the
:07:38. > :07:45.big figure? Experience is key, she has played a lot, and I would like
:07:45. > :07:53.to contribute to the goals a bit bowl. She can supply them. This is
:07:53. > :07:59.her record, their 126th cap. An inch perfect pass for Eniola Aluko. It is
:07:59. > :08:04.being able to CD-ROMs and put the ball in the danger area. She can be
:08:04. > :08:11.a key figure. They drew against Japan. But they got hammered by
:08:11. > :08:14.Sweden. What will they have learned? They have to learn from it,
:08:14. > :08:21.they have to take the positives and negatives. They looked disorganised,
:08:21. > :08:26.which is not normally England. But Sweden did press them really high,
:08:26. > :08:30.they caused problems. Their physicality was a difficulty for
:08:30. > :08:37.England. They need to learn from that, especially when they play
:08:37. > :08:42.Russia. But they can learn from games like this. This is something
:08:42. > :08:48.that they will have looked at, the players will have looked at it,
:08:48. > :08:52.individually and collectively. It is something they can take on into
:08:52. > :08:56.their first game against Spain, it is just good it did not happen in
:08:56. > :09:04.the first game. There are a number of players who have either been
:09:04. > :09:11.injured or who are not match fit. Is that a big concern? What effect will
:09:11. > :09:17.that have against Spain? There are six players that have had injuries.
:09:17. > :09:21.Karen Carney and Kelly Smith are the long-term injuries. But Steph
:09:21. > :09:28.Houghton, Casey Stoney, they played against Sweden, they have got time
:09:28. > :09:33.under their belt, and they were able to overcome their injuries. We have
:09:33. > :09:39.had players before that have had injuries. The experience and ability
:09:39. > :09:46.to play over those injuries, that is what you do as a player to play in a
:09:46. > :09:50.major tournament. England get under way against Spain on Friday night.
:09:50. > :09:55.We will also have the best of the action from the other match in the
:09:55. > :10:00.group, between France and Russia. More from the England camp shortly.
:10:00. > :10:06.Now, the story that has polarised women's football. One week into the
:10:06. > :10:08.WSL season, Doncaster received a phone call to say they were being
:10:08. > :10:13.demoted to the new second division for the following season because
:10:13. > :10:17.they have failed the new entry criteria for the first division. The
:10:17. > :10:22.club appealed, but nine days ago the appeal was rejected by an
:10:22. > :10:32.independent panel. Manchester City will take their place in the top
:10:32. > :10:38.
:10:38. > :10:43.division. What next for one of the Doncaster have been in the top
:10:43. > :10:48.flight of women's football for 22 years. They have won the FA women's
:10:48. > :10:55.cup six times, the old FA women's Premier League twice, and between
:10:55. > :11:00.1978 and 1993 they only lost one league match. The FA's new game
:11:00. > :11:05.changer initiative has put new standards in place to strengthen the
:11:05. > :11:10.women's game, but Doncaster is a community club with minimal
:11:10. > :11:14.resources, and they have struggled to meet the new criteria. The
:11:14. > :11:18.reaction to the decision to demote them has been fierce, and the
:11:18. > :11:23.headlines do not make comfortable reading for the FA. The feeling in
:11:23. > :11:28.Doncaster is one of shock and disappointment. Gutted, devastated,
:11:29. > :11:35.difficult to take. 44 years of heritage does not give you a divine
:11:35. > :11:40.right to be there, from a respect point of view, some are relative, we
:11:40. > :11:46.have been treated badly, playing on a pitch, promotion, allegation, that
:11:46. > :11:52.is what sport, we believed, was about. To tell the team after one
:11:52. > :11:59.game, it is criminal. It is so difficult to pick the players and
:11:59. > :12:05.staff up. But credit to them, they have done great. They are quite
:12:05. > :12:09.strong minded. The FA have defended their position, with a 38 page legal
:12:09. > :12:16.summary and this statement. The decision by the selection panel not
:12:16. > :12:21.to offer them a licence was due to them primarily being unable to
:12:21. > :12:25.satisfactory meet minimum requirements, alongside further
:12:25. > :12:29.concerns on their commercial and marketing strategies. Doncaster
:12:29. > :12:35.continued to maintain their facilities are up to scratch, and
:12:35. > :12:38.they can fulfil the fixture list. But at this stage, their position in
:12:38. > :12:44.the second division is not even confirmed, because according to the
:12:44. > :12:48.FA, they still have criteria to meet. They have finished next to
:12:48. > :12:52.bottom in the two seasons since the WSL was formed and have struggled
:12:52. > :12:57.this season under the cloud of the FA decision. But the club are
:12:57. > :13:01.determined they have a positive future to look forward to. You take
:13:01. > :13:06.the hit, and you continue on the football field. The 4th of August,
:13:06. > :13:11.we play Chelsea. We will put our heart and soul into not finishing
:13:11. > :13:18.bottom, if ever there was a challenge to fit -- to prove
:13:18. > :13:23.somebody wrong, that would be it. just got on with it. We went to the
:13:23. > :13:27.appeal, we hope something could happen, it has not, so we are not
:13:27. > :13:37.going to labour on the fact that it has gone against us. We just have to
:13:37. > :13:37.
:13:37. > :13:46.get ourselves ready for what is next. I'm joined by Kelly Symond s
:13:46. > :13:49.of the FA. One of the main criteria is the facility, but they play where
:13:49. > :13:53.Doncaster Rovers play. The problem with the women's club have is the
:13:53. > :13:58.access to it. This season they've been the forth priority on the pitch
:13:58. > :14:03.after the men's football club, rugby and other events. It's led to
:14:03. > :14:06.problems with fixtures as well as the quality of the pitch.
:14:06. > :14:10.Unfortunately Doncaster Belles through the application process
:14:10. > :14:15.weren't able to satisfy the FA that would improve. It's so important
:14:15. > :14:20.because the FA and the clubs signed up to delivering semi-
:14:20. > :14:23.semi-professional women's football. For the first time we have two major
:14:23. > :14:26.broadcast deals with the BBC and BT sport. We're moving to regular
:14:26. > :14:33.coverage. It's essential that we lock down the fixtures and encourage
:14:33. > :14:37.fans to come to the game and deliver the league. Something that they are
:14:37. > :14:41.unhappy about is the lack of communication during the process, so
:14:42. > :14:45.they knew they weren't on the right track at the time. Of course the
:14:45. > :14:49.timing, being told after first game. Do you have regrets about how you
:14:49. > :14:52.could have done something differently? We don't actually,
:14:52. > :14:55.because communication, they've never really raised the issue of
:14:55. > :14:58.communication. All of the clubs were aware of the process an the time
:14:58. > :15:03.lines. We delivered to those. I personally rang Doncaster before the
:15:03. > :15:11.decision came out to explain to them what the result was and why they
:15:11. > :15:15.hadn't achieved WSL1 status. From the outside it looks strange, but
:15:15. > :15:19.the women's Super League plays across the summer. The rest of
:15:19. > :15:26.women's football plays across the winter. The women's Super League has
:15:26. > :15:30.been closed off with no relegation. We will open that up from 2014. We
:15:31. > :15:34.can take ten teams from the winter pyramid to make up the Super League.
:15:34. > :15:39.Those new clubs have to come out of the women's leagues now, this
:15:39. > :15:43.summer, they can't play in 13/14 because they need to be ready for
:15:43. > :15:47.the Super League kicking off in March next year. It is an anomaly.
:15:47. > :15:51.It is a one-off situation. Because from now, with the second division,
:15:51. > :15:54.it will be about promotion and relegation subject to meeting
:15:54. > :15:59.license criteria. There's been quite a back lash to the decision. I'm
:15:59. > :16:04.sure that you're aware, throughout the media, a lot of people
:16:05. > :16:09.criticising the FA. Doncaster have been in the top flight for many
:16:09. > :16:14.years. People are upset that they've been relegated for non-fooling ever
:16:14. > :16:18.footballing -- footballing reasons. Can you understand the backlash? Of
:16:18. > :16:22.course I can. I would say that the backlash has been because it's been
:16:22. > :16:25.portrayed the decision is about money. It isn't. There are women's
:16:25. > :16:29.clubs in Super League one and two who don't have men's club backing,
:16:29. > :16:36.but have really good local partnerships and are able to deliver
:16:36. > :16:41.the cry tierament Bristol academy is probably -- criteria. Bristol
:16:41. > :16:48.academy is the most impressive one. I feel sorry for Manchester City.
:16:48. > :16:52.They were one of 33 clubs that applied for a place, had a really
:16:52. > :16:57.strong place and they are only doing what we have been asking men's clubs
:16:57. > :17:00.to do, invest in women's football. Difficult was this decision to take?
:17:00. > :17:04.I think it was difficult. The toughest thing for us was the timing
:17:04. > :17:08.of it. We had gone through the preseason. I had come back from
:17:08. > :17:13.injury. There was a buzz around the club about playing. When we found
:17:13. > :17:19.out that we were going to be in WSL2 no mat whaer we did in the league,
:17:19. > :17:23.that was hard from a players' performative. It's the motivation.
:17:23. > :17:28.Thankfully we have a group of fantastic individuals and they're
:17:28. > :17:34.strong characters. We will battle through. I think our aim now is to
:17:34. > :17:38.probably not finish bottom. That's what we're focussed on. If Donny win
:17:38. > :17:42.WSL2 next year, then as things stand, they won't be promoted if
:17:42. > :17:47.they still don't match the criteria. Will you work with them in
:17:47. > :17:52.particular to help them to match the criteria? Yeah, it's in all our
:17:52. > :17:56.interests to make sure that all the clubs can meet the criteria so
:17:56. > :17:59.whoever wins can go up. If they don't meet the criteria they
:18:00. > :18:04.won't be able to go up. That's similar to men's football, where
:18:04. > :18:08.across national league systems you have clubs that can't go up because
:18:08. > :18:12.of facilities. We will work all the clubs and our facilities team are
:18:12. > :18:16.working with them to find solutions to the problems that they have got.
:18:16. > :18:25.Very much. We'll keep you updated on all developments with Doncaster and
:18:25. > :18:35.the WSL when the Women's Football Show returns after the Euros. Now to
:18:35. > :18:48.
:18:48. > :18:53.Sweden's -- England's base camp in Linkoping, I didn't think I would
:18:53. > :19:02.ever come back, so when they announced that the Linkoping would
:19:02. > :19:07.be one of the venues, it was OK. It adds an element of comfort. It's a
:19:07. > :19:12.bit slower, the pace of life here. Everyone's kind of relaxed. I really
:19:12. > :19:16.enjoy that. It's a beautiful town, very natural, very green. People
:19:16. > :19:23.really embrace that. Loads of people just go and hang out in parks. They
:19:23. > :19:27.embrace their culture as well. There's quite a few museums around.
:19:27. > :19:33.I enjoyed the original town, this old town Linkoping. You go there and
:19:33. > :19:38.you just go back hundreds of years. I'm a fan of antiquity. I feel like
:19:38. > :19:46.I can appreciate it. I like learning the history of towns and I'm kind of
:19:46. > :19:49.a nerd that way. My favourite part of the cathedral is that you could
:19:49. > :19:55.basically see it from anywhere in town. If you caught it at the right
:19:55. > :19:59.moment in the evening, the sun would catch the clock face really nicely.
:19:59. > :20:04.It just would light up the surrounding area. It was very
:20:04. > :20:11.pretty. When I first came, we went to go and break the ground, so it's
:20:11. > :20:17.been amazing to see it go from being a lot of dirt to the stadium that it
:20:17. > :20:23.is today. It looks like it's going to be a great venue. And a really
:20:23. > :20:29.nice, intimate theary foo. I'm -- atmosphere. I'm looking to seeing
:20:29. > :20:34.the things in the blueprint that I was told was going to happen.
:20:34. > :20:39.England are going to be spending a lot of time in Linkoping. Let's hope
:20:39. > :20:43.there's plenty to do. The mini golf is good apparently! How much of a
:20:43. > :20:46.benefit is it being in one town? three teams are in the same city.
:20:46. > :20:50.The good thing is that it reduces the amount of travel if you get
:20:50. > :20:54.further in the competition, but for a player, it's good to go through
:20:54. > :20:58.the same pre-match routines, to be familiar with the stadium you're
:20:58. > :21:02.going to. If you play well, if you have a good result in the first
:21:02. > :21:05.game, you often play well in the second game. Some of the players
:21:05. > :21:09.will go stir crazy in the same city and with not having a change of
:21:09. > :21:19.scenery. I think as far as the logistics and the practical sense
:21:19. > :21:22.
:21:22. > :21:26.it's a positive. Will go mad? Williams, jil Scott, Rachel Yankey.
:21:26. > :21:29.They could stay in Linkoping but they would have to win the group.
:21:29. > :21:34.France will be the most difficult game I would say. They are a tough
:21:34. > :21:39.team. They're a team that we have played before and obviously, we went
:21:39. > :21:43.2-0 up in this game against France, so you think fantastic the way that
:21:43. > :21:46.we created chances. They can take positives from that and confidence
:21:46. > :21:50.from that. We did change the team around a bit and obviously France
:21:50. > :21:55.came back into it, as we know they can. The game ended 2-2. That was
:21:55. > :21:58.probably disappointing, the fact that you've gone 2-0 up against a
:21:58. > :22:02.fantastic team. If you keep that result it's a massive confidence
:22:02. > :22:07.boost. As a team you have to forget past results and look to this. As we
:22:07. > :22:12.know there's a lot of very good players in France, especial
:22:12. > :22:16.especially the very talented player that can create and score a lot of
:22:16. > :22:19.goals. A lot of them are fulltime professional in the French league
:22:19. > :22:23.and Champions League final as well. Spain are the first team that
:22:23. > :22:27.England play. Now, you know full well that they're not very happy
:22:27. > :22:30.with England because you personally helped deny them a place in the last
:22:31. > :22:36.World Cup. England have denied them a European place as well. That's
:22:36. > :22:40.right. I scored the equaliser in the World Cup qualifiers, a draw it
:22:40. > :22:44.turned out but we went through having secured more goals, I think.
:22:44. > :22:49.If the Euros as well, leading the last 2009 we went through rather
:22:49. > :22:54.than them. They will feel that they were close to beating up and taking
:22:54. > :23:02.that spot instead of us. They did well against Scotland to come back.
:23:02. > :23:10.It was 3-2 in the final game, score scoring 122nd-minute winner after
:23:10. > :23:14.having a pen at toy. They will take that into -- having a penalty.
:23:14. > :23:18.about the Russians? They are physical. We struggled with that.
:23:18. > :23:21.Hopefully we've learned from that and can go into the Russia game more
:23:22. > :23:26.physical. We have players that can do that. We seem to play well
:23:26. > :23:31.against the nice, footballing teams - Spain, Brazil and Japan. Hopefully
:23:31. > :23:35.we can get our physical game in. Away from England's group, who else
:23:35. > :23:39.could win? Sweden have home advantage and our roving reporter
:23:39. > :23:43.will be Tina Daheley. She's been assessing their chance was a striker
:23:43. > :23:47.who lives and works in London. One of the favourites to win this
:23:47. > :23:51.summer's European champion shops are hosts Sweden and a player hoping to
:23:51. > :23:57.lead the attack made her international debut against England
:23:57. > :24:07.in 2011. Now playing for Chelsea in the WSL, Sofia Jakobsson lives a
:24:07. > :24:10.
:24:10. > :24:14.stone's throw from the I have been playing a lot of a big
:24:14. > :24:18.turnaments. To score in the Olympics was really good. It was a lot of
:24:18. > :24:21.people watching. To score was amazing. I feel I'm not new in this.
:24:21. > :24:25.I feel I will go in there with a good experience and with a good
:24:25. > :24:29.confidence and help the team as much as I can. Yeah, I think we will be a
:24:29. > :24:33.tough team. We are at home. It's important that we show people who
:24:33. > :24:42.are coming to watch our games that we want to win this tournament. We
:24:42. > :24:51.are organised and we have good players. Hopefully we will score
:24:51. > :24:54.goals. You have a very experienced coach who led the US to a World Cup
:24:54. > :25:00.final and Olympic gold last year. What's it been like working with
:25:00. > :25:05.her? Yeah, I'm really happy with her. Now her coming in the team with
:25:05. > :25:09.a lot of energy. She has new eyes on every player. She wants to bring in
:25:09. > :25:13.new players. I think it putses pressure on the ones who have been a
:25:13. > :25:17.long time in the national team. face your neighbours Denmark in the
:25:17. > :25:21.opening fixture. How much of a threat will they be? I know Denmark
:25:21. > :25:26.is a really good team. I think it will be a hard game because, of
:25:26. > :25:30.course, we want to win and I know they want to win against us. So I
:25:30. > :25:36.think it's a really important game for us to start well in the
:25:36. > :25:39.tournament. I know Italy, football is more technical and Finland is
:25:39. > :25:45.more physical team. But I think we will not have a problem against
:25:45. > :25:49.them. We are also physical. I think it's more important to focus on our
:25:49. > :25:54.game. Have you dreamt of scoring the winner in the final? Yeah, of
:25:54. > :25:58.course, you always do that. Like a striker, you always want to score.
:25:58. > :26:04.If you can score a winning goal in the final, it's like the best thing
:26:04. > :26:10.you can do in your life. So confirmation of Sweden's
:26:10. > :26:13.opponents in Group A: Italy, Finland and Denmark first up. So Sweden have
:26:13. > :26:18.home advantage, Sue, with that comes plenty of pressure as well. Do you
:26:18. > :26:22.see them as genuine contenders to win? I didn't a few months back and
:26:22. > :26:26.recently I've watched their form and they seem to be getting better and
:26:26. > :26:31.better. They're peaking at the right time. For me, it's the manager. She
:26:31. > :26:35.seems to have them playing for her. I think that's a massive benefit.
:26:35. > :26:40.The fact that against England they look sharp. They looked ready.
:26:40. > :26:42.They're not even thinking about the pressure. I think they're going into
:26:42. > :26:45.the tournament expecting to win. She's brought in the winning
:26:45. > :26:49.mentality from being the American manager, used to winning games.
:26:49. > :26:54.She's brought that and seems to instilled that into her players.
:26:54. > :26:59.won Olympic gold at Wembley last summer. Sweden versus Denmark kicks
:26:59. > :27:05.off our live coverage of the tournament this Wednesday, from 7pm
:27:05. > :27:07.on BBC Three. Also highlights of Italy versus Finland. Today's the
:27:07. > :27:12.Football Association's 20th anniversary of running women's
:27:12. > :27:16.football. To celebrate the FA have launched Kick Off Your Career to
:27:16. > :27:21.inspire young women and girls to work in our national game. Not so
:27:21. > :27:25.long ago, it was difficult for a woman to have a career in football.
:27:25. > :27:30.In 1972, England's first official international took place against
:27:30. > :27:35.Scotland on an icy pitch. It had been more than 50 years since the FA
:27:35. > :27:39.had banned women from playing on its clubs' grounds deeming the game
:27:39. > :27:44.unsuitable for girls. England were 2-0 down.
:27:44. > :27:49.COMMENTATOR: all eyes on number eight. Sylvia Gore started the fight
:27:49. > :27:57.back with her country's first ever international goal. England won
:27:57. > :28:02.3-26789 Sylvia has had a long -- 3-1. Sylvia has had a long career.
:28:02. > :28:07.I've had special achievement awards, a trophy named after me. The FA have
:28:07. > :28:12.given me awards. I was on the role of honour at my local authority with
:28:12. > :28:16.Steven Gerrard and Peter Reid. Sylvia's story has beenlet exception
:28:16. > :28:19.with many women of her era and beyond dropping out of the game. To
:28:19. > :28:22.celebrate the 20th anniversary of taking over the running of women's
:28:22. > :28:26.football, the FA have launched Kick Off Your Career, show casing 20
:28:26. > :28:29.women working in the game, who the FA hope will inspire a new
:28:29. > :28:34.FA hope will inspire a new generation. I don't think you can
:28:34. > :28:37.beat match day and that environment. That's what it's about, about
:28:37. > :28:47.getting the players ready to perform getting the players ready to perform
:28:47. > :28:49.
:28:49. > :28:55.getting the players ready to perform in the game.
:28:55. > :29:02.I say, this is the environment we try to create as players. I work at
:29:02. > :29:08.Norwich, that small bit of funding we put in makes a massive
:29:08. > :29:14.difference, it gives them somewhere to be, to be like everyone else and
:29:14. > :29:20.to be part of it. It is something I dream golf from a kid, playing in
:29:20. > :29:28.the World Cup. The famous gifted boot of Kelly Smith has done the
:29:28. > :29:35.business! I won a silver medal in Finland in 2009. That is the only
:29:35. > :29:39.medal I have one, playing for England, so it is special. A lot of
:29:39. > :29:44.young people from 15 to 19 are dropping out, and for me, it can be
:29:44. > :29:49.a tough sell, particularly to some females, about trying to get
:29:49. > :29:57.involved, because they think it is for boys or they do not want to get
:29:57. > :30:02.hot and sweaty on their lunch break. I am on call 24 hours a day. In a
:30:02. > :30:09.tournament situation, every second counts. It's a fine line between
:30:09. > :30:12.being superfit and super healthy and being injured, unfortunately.
:30:12. > :30:15.have heard from some of the top women in the industry, and you do
:30:15. > :30:20.not have to be playing football to be part of it.
:30:20. > :30:28.Get involved! You can find out more about Kick Off Your Career on the FA
:30:28. > :30:35.website. Sylvia taught you all do know. I am so glad she is getting
:30:35. > :30:41.recognition, what an inspirational woman. She told me about that goal
:30:42. > :30:50.so many times, what a great goal! Really pleased for her. It is time
:30:50. > :30:53.to focus on group the of Euro 2013, and the Liverpool and Icelandic
:30:53. > :31:03.midfielder Katrin Omarsdottir is hoping to carry her good form into
:31:03. > :31:08.
:31:08. > :31:16.For Liverpool, I have been playing holding midfield, simple, winning
:31:16. > :31:24.the midfield battle. I have got good passes, good in the air. Physical.
:31:24. > :31:32.With the national team, I have more of a role creatively. I have got it
:31:32. > :31:37.all, I think! Playing for Liverpool and coming from winning a lot of
:31:37. > :31:47.games will hopefully help my mentality, going into Euro 2013. For
:31:47. > :31:51.Iceland as a nation, we are up for any challenge. We have got the
:31:51. > :31:58.attitude that we can beat anyone. We are quite a physical team, we fight
:31:58. > :32:03.until the end. It can be hard to break us down. Not this year, but it
:32:03. > :32:09.has been in the past. We will hopefully find it again. We never
:32:09. > :32:19.quit, we rely on counterattacking. The players to watch, the
:32:19. > :32:21.
:32:21. > :32:27.goalkeeper, the centre back, and our top goal-scorer can hopefully get
:32:27. > :32:34.some goals for us. In our group, Germany, Holland and Norway. It is a
:32:34. > :32:42.difficult group. All tough teams. Norway has done well, we beat them
:32:42. > :32:51.in Iceland and then lost in Norway. To play them in the tournament, it
:32:51. > :32:55.will be a good fight. Germany are a great team. Holland... It is all
:32:55. > :33:02.good teams, we just have to do our best. On a good day, we can beat any
:33:02. > :33:08.team. We want to make our country proud, so hopefully we can battle.
:33:08. > :33:12.Success is being able to go home and know we did our best. And go home
:33:12. > :33:19.with no regrets. Iceland are the underdogs in the
:33:19. > :33:24.group, alongside the former champions Norway, the Netherlands
:33:24. > :33:27.and the mighty Germans, going for their sixth straight title. You
:33:27. > :33:34.expect them to replace their missing players and march on to the next
:33:34. > :33:42.title. Many teams would struggle, missing six key players, but they
:33:42. > :33:51.bring through the youngsters. They have such a strong squad. A great
:33:51. > :33:54.striker, who seems to be taking over the mantle. 17 goals in qualifying.
:33:54. > :34:01.They have confidence, great experience, winning trophies along
:34:01. > :34:06.the way. I see them coming out of their group comfortably. 17 goals
:34:06. > :34:16.from one player! Germany are the firm favourites to win the group,
:34:16. > :34:23.
:34:23. > :34:28.they have not lost a game at the Germans last lost a match at this
:34:28. > :34:33.tournament, but it is very much part of everyday life for a player. We
:34:33. > :34:43.have entered into the England hotel as Toni Duggan and Alex Scott took
:34:43. > :34:48.
:34:48. > :34:56.time out to take part in a live Q&A OK, it seems as though we are off.
:34:56. > :35:00.Who are you most looking forward to playing? The first game, Spain.
:35:00. > :35:08.Wattage your favourite tournament you have played in? The World Cup,
:35:08. > :35:12.2011, the crowds in Germany, the whole buzz around women's football.
:35:12. > :35:21.The under 19 European Championships, because we won. Is this more nerve
:35:21. > :35:31.wracking than being on the pitch? Gel has got the best banter. They
:35:31. > :35:31.
:35:31. > :35:39.have made up a song for us. The Addams family theme. Duggan and
:35:39. > :35:49.Scott! It is going to be stuck in my head! Who has the worst dress
:35:49. > :35:49.
:35:49. > :35:57.sense? Who can we stitch up? ! Stoney! I am sure you could give her
:35:57. > :36:04.a make over! We have got new questions. What is the team morale
:36:04. > :36:08.like? It is the best it has ever been, the team is one United group.
:36:08. > :36:18.Have you practised penalties? Of course, we want to be the best
:36:18. > :36:24.prepared we can be. Katie has got back to us! She says, excuse me,
:36:24. > :36:29.white and I getting battered on this? ! Save the best till last!
:36:29. > :36:39.What is the most exciting prospect of playing in a tournament? The
:36:39. > :36:40.
:36:40. > :36:46.chance to win a medal. Our famous song... Duggan and Scott!
:36:46. > :36:56.If you want to get involved, send us your tweets. Or you can visit the
:36:56. > :37:00.
:37:00. > :37:05.Facebook site. Who will win the tournament? Over to you! I will go
:37:05. > :37:15.for Germany, but I think France will have a good chance as well.
:37:15. > :37:17.
:37:17. > :37:22.England's group! What about. Course is? I wanted to take a dark horse! I
:37:22. > :37:27.think Holland. They got to the semifinals in the last tournament,
:37:27. > :37:33.they did really well, they hit teams on the break. They have changed
:37:33. > :37:38.their style, so to see them playing the Dutch style, it will be
:37:38. > :37:44.interesting. They will progress further than people think. The dark
:37:44. > :37:52.horse? It is hard to see beyond the major teams, Germany, Sweden, France
:37:52. > :37:56.and England. They are the top four ranked side! More of that insightful
:37:56. > :38:04.punditry on Friday evening, when we bring you live coverage of
:38:04. > :38:14.England's opening match from 7pm on BBC Three. We kick off the
:38:14. > :38:21.