Episode 17 of That Lionesses Podcast connected by EE features Arsenal teammates Beth Mead and Lotte Wubben-Moy, who discuss what it means to be a Lioness, the friendships in football as well as previewing the Sweden game.
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What it’s like to be a Lioness and the evolution of the game
Harriet: Lotte, you get to represent your country doing what you love, how would you describe that in three words?
Lotte: Three words wow, I think I feel very privileged, honoured and I think you know you don’t get to experience this much, let alone, I don’t know how many tournaments you’ve been part of but this is my third tournament and it’s yeah three words three tournaments you know that is beautiful
Harriet: Yeah it’s incredible and Beth you’ve been with the team seven years now
Lotte: Is it that long?
Harriet: How have you seen the team
Beth: Showing my age, wow
Harriet: But you’ve been with the team seven years, how have you seen the team evolve as a group and you being such a huge part of that as well?
Beth: I mean this seven years has really crept up on me I’ve gone from like being a baby to now being one of the oldest which is crazy
Harriet: And you’re still extremely young
Beth: I think it’s been nice to see the evolution of the game in that time, you know I remember my debut actually it was pretty, it was in 2018 and it was actually against Wales and we drew 0-0 in a qualifying game and it was obviously bittersweet because I’d just got my debut but obviously we were very disappointed because it’s a game we should have won, and there were 30,000 people there but that was so alien at that time like that that happened and now, like Lotte said I felt very privileged and honoured to be able to do that in front of obviously so many people, but there’s so many games where people have made us so irrelevant or they’ve not cared about the game and to see where the team’s at now you know most of the, well actually all the girls now playing full time professional football in front of record crowds again this tournament
Lotte: Smashing them aren’t we
Beth: Smashing it, it smashed before even the last group games
Lotte: Yeah amazing
Beth: Which again like we’re still got so many new heights to reach but I feel very privileged and it’s very special to have seen that journey and been a part of that journey
Harriet: And you have been such a huge part of that journey
Lotte: Big part yeah
Harriet: Which is so cool and it’s extremely inspiring as someone who is not a footballer I know you’re probably looking at me
Beth: She definitely should be playing
Harriet: She should be, it’s just so inspiring to see the change in my lifetime to watching and being at the games and seeing the young people there thriving and watching you guys do incredibly well. What’s been what’s pretty amazing about this group it’s more than just a squad of 23 players you have incredible values, standards, and you’re playing for something more and it’s really clear, where does that drive come from do you think?
Lotte: I think every single individual in the team has overcome barriers to be where they are like let’s not forget the game is like 50 years behind the men and like looking at that as something that isn’t holding us back but actually propelling us forward because we have a greater sense of purpose, a greater sense of doing it for more than us as individuals and I think we all try to embody that when we step out onto the pitch, doing it for our friends, family, but the fans and you said you were at the game on Sunday, the atmosphere that is created not just amongst a rivalry but like a unity between all the fans that we feel, we feel it in our bones and that’s what allows you to be more than just 23 players out on the pitch and that drives you on to keep wanting more not just winning but also pushing barriers elsewhere in the world
Discussing the friendships you make in football
Harriet: Beth, I know you girls are taking it one step at a time right now, but I would love you to cast your mind forward, and I know this is something that’s probably already solidified for you with the experience you have, but do you think there are friends you’ve made at England that you’ll keep for life, like you’re going to be pensioners with each other, sitting around talking about these games, you know?
Beth: Yeah, I think most of, I mean my friends that I’ve had through life have been family away from family, so I have a lot of girls here that I will definitely be keeping in touch with for a very very long time, which again, I feel very lucky to have them type of people and be on this journey with them, so yeah I’ve known a lot of them since they were a lot younger, I mean me and Alex Greenwood have gone through every age group together pretty much from U15’s up, so we’ve had a journey together, so I think sometimes you unite through those journeys, because like Lotte said they’re not always easy. We play for England, we love playing for England but youth probably wasn’t the easiest journey for all of us in different ways, being away from family, travelling to different countries when you’re young, expectation, but yeah very much so we’ll be pensioners talking about this footballing journey for a long time.
Previewing the Sweden game
Harriet: Right now, because we’ve not got that much time left, we’ve got to talk about Thursday, quarter-final against Sweden
Lotte: Big
Harriet: We mentioned yesterday on the pod, that they’re a team to be feared – what do you see as the biggest challenges that they pose?
Beth: Physicality, powerful, fast
Lotte: Counter-attacking football
Beth: Yeah
Beth: Obviously we know a few personally, Stina obviously from Arsenal. Yeah, we know what we’re in for and and hopefully we can nullify that best a team, but it’s always a tough game against Sweden, we’ve played them a lot of times in tournaments especially. And I think that not that people underestimate them, but they’re always successful in tournaments and people sometimes I think write them off a little bit too early, when they’re a team that just goes by their business and they looked pretty good against Germany the other night so we know what we’ve got coming but it’s going to be tough.