FA CHIEF Mark Bullingham expects Sarina Wiegman to carry on as England boss – even if her team endured a Euros group stage exit.
And the Football Association’s top exec thinks the women’s game will continue to grow no matter where the Lionesses finish in the tournament.
GettyFA chief Mark Bullingham says he does not see “any scenario” at the Euros changing the football’s authority’s faith in Sarina Wiegman[/caption]
APThe England head coach and her players hope to successfully defend the European Championship title they won in 2022[/caption]
AlamyEngland, whose players include Alessia Russo, will play Jamaica in a Euros send-off fixture on June 29 before heading to Switzerland for the tournament[/caption]
Holders England are just seven days away from commencing the defence of the Euros title they won at Wembley three years ago.
They will battle it out for knockout place with an in-form France who they play in Zurich, Switzerland on July 5 before duels with the Netherlands and Wales.
Last January Wiegman, 55, extended her contract, which was due to expire after this summer’s Euros, until after the 2027 World Cup.
The Dutch coach is regarded as one of the most successful England managers having guided the team to Euros glory and their first ever World Cup final.
On whether a group-stage exit would force the FA to consider her position, Bullingham said: “I don’t see any scenario changing that.
“We’re delighted that Sarina’s in place until 2027
On whether Wiegman’s reign could go beyond the next Women’s World Cup, he added: “We haven’t looked beyond that time scale yet or engaged in those conversations.
“We feel we have us locked into this tournament and the next and that feels very good for us.
“That’s not to say we wouldn’t have a conversation at some point in the future but it’s too early for that really.”
England’s group D opener with France comes nine days after new research revealed a decrease in average broadcast audiences for Women’s Super League games.
A Women’s Sport Trust study found the average UK broadcast audience for the WSL had declined by 35% year on year.
However with England World Cup final clash with Spain being the most-watched women’s sport event on TV in 2023, Bullingham believes the game will continue to grow and attract large audiences
He said: “We see every international tournament as an opportunity to accelerate growth rather than it being a negative.
“If you look at the last World Cup being in Australia – the challenge with the time zones made it difficult for teams in Europe to achieve really high figures.
“But actually, we were still, despite that, achieving good figures so we’re really confident that we’ll achieve good figures this time around.”
AFPMark Bullingham expects the growth of and interest in the women’s game to maintain momentum following this year’s Euros[/caption]
Plans to build a statue of England’s Women’s team are still ongoing according to the FA.
The football authority entered into discussions about its design following the last Women’s World Cup.
The FA says it is “completely committed” to the project with the commissioning process currently at an advanced stage with an update likely to be provided after the summer.
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