Britain will compete in women’s football for the first time ever at the delayed Olympics 2020 in Japan. However, they will enjoy their chances of winning a medal as one of the strongest sides that has qualified for the tournament.
The responsibility for organizing Team GB has fallen to the FA and the qualification was ensured by England finishing among the top three European sides at the latest World Cup 2019.
Britain last played football at the 2012 Olympics KHALED DESOUKI / Getty Images
Interim lioness coach Hege Riise, himself Olympic champion as a player with Norway 2000, has been given responsibility for Team GB and will be tasked with appointing a squad that can draw from all four home nations – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Although there is no age limit for women’s soccer at the Olympics, countries may only list 18 players in their final team, plus four reserves that can be exchanged during the tournament if someone from the first selection suffers significant injury.
This makes the competition for places tougher than usual when most major international tournaments allow troops with 23 players. This is even more the case for the UK when players from four different national teams are eligible to be selected under one flag.
Riise has already compiled its preliminary squad with 35 players who will need to be reduced almost half before the summer. An upcoming England training camp followed by friendly matches against France and Canada will help with that, while she and her staff will keep a close eye on all other home country players on the list in the coming weeks.
Players from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are eligible for Team GB | CHRISTOPHE SIMON / Getty Images
What we probably know about the list, as Riise has confirmed that it is true, is that all 24 players mentioned in the England squad for the international break in April are on the Olympic list.
It can also be assumed with certainty that Lioness’ captain Steph Houghton, who is missing from the England squad due to injury, is also on the list. The same can be said for Nikita Parris, whose omission in England is the result of coronavirus restrictions and protocols rather than form.
It is also known that the promising Birmingham goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has not made the cut for the Olympics, after finding out via email just before a WSL match against Everton recently. She was so upset by the news that her performance was affected and Birmingham lost 4-0.
Although he has previously been called up, Hampton is not part of England’s squad this time. From this we can conclude that other English players on the fringes of the squad in recent months, such as the Manchester United trio Katie Zelem, Lauren James and Alessio Russo, West Ham defender Grace Fisk and Bristol City forward Ebony Salmon, who have missed is also not on the Olympic list.
England’s Interim Commander Hege Riise is responsible for selecting Britain’s squad LISE ASERUD / Getty Images
If they were fighting to go to Japan with Team GB, they would almost certainly have been called to this camp so that Riise could judge them. Their absence is therefore telling.
If it can then be assumed that there are 26 names on the Olympic list from England, it leaves nine more places for players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A number of the best WSL players are Scotland’s international. It includes Arsenal-living legend Kim Little, Manchester City star Caroline Weir, who has an eye for spectacular goals, as well as younger attacking talents such as Manchester United’s Kirsty Hanson and Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert.
Scotland’s Caroline Weir is probably a shoo-in for Team GB | Visionhaus / Getty Images
Wales also has valuable players. Chelsea boss Emma Hayes is a big fan of Sophie Ingle, while Hayley Ladd has become one of Manchester United’s most important players since joining the club in 2019. A team with many technical players can also use the toughness of a tough tackling midfielder like Angharad James , which has been poached by the NWSL giants North Carolina Courage.
Sad as it may be, the likelihood of someone from Northern Ireland even making the preliminary cut is small. Most of the troops are not at a high enough club level to get in front of others. Rachel Furness is an outstanding Irish name but is with Liverpool in the Women’s Championship. Simone Magill is with Everton, but there are already too many better forward options from the other home countries.
Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (England), Sandy MacIver (England), Ellie Roebuck (England), Carly Telford (England)
Defender: Jennifer Beattie (Scotland), Millie Bright (England), Lucy Bronze (England), Alex Greenwood (England), Steph Houghton (England), Sophie Ingle (Wales), Demi Stokes (England), Millie Turner (England), Leah Williamson (England), Lotte Wubben-Moy (England)
Midfielder: Niamh Charles (England), Lisa Evans (Scotland), Lauren Hemp (England), Angharad James (Wales), Hayley Ladd (Wales), Kim Little (Scotland), Jordan Nobbs (England), Jill Scott (England), Georgia Stanway (England), Ella Toone (England), Keira Walsh (England), Caroline Weir (Scotland)
Forward: Erin Cuthbert (Scotland), Rachel Daly (England), Bethany England (England), Kirsty Hanson (Scotland), Chloe Kelly (England), Fran Kirby (England), Beth Mead (England), Nikita Parris (England), Ellen White (England)
The majority of the preliminary list and the last squad will be players in England PHILIPPE DESMAZES / Getty Images
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