From grassroots to the Euros: How the England Women’s Squad highlighted the importance of youth football
In their final training session at St. George’s Park before heading to Switzerland for the UEFA European Championships 2025, the England Lionesses wore the shirts of their first ever grassroots football clubs to remind themselves of their roots.
Sixteen teams are in Switzerland this month to compete on Europe’s biggest stage, but the England team paid a special tribute to their beginnings last week.
Each player was given the shirt of their first ever football club, with the FA describing it as a ‘special way to commemorate the countless hours of work by volunteers, coaches, and staff at their local clubs’.
Twenty-six clubs, from St Martins AC and Alnwick Town to Queens Park Rangers and Villarreal CF, were represented, with the players wearing the shirts for a special squad photo and training session.
Over 150 coaches and current players from the players’ first clubs were invited to the event, which took place at the home of England’s Men’s, Women’s, Disability, and Youth Teams, St. George’s Park. The attendees offered special messages of support to the Lionesses ahead of their Euros campaign opener against France.
St. George’s Park, based in Staffordshire, is the National Football Facility and also the venue where the Junior Premier League hosts the Pro:Direct JPL National Finals twice annually, one for the Winter Foundation Phase Finals and one for the mainstream National Finals. The training centre provides an incredible space for our finals, where elite-level athletes train every week, and showcases an unbelievable pathway and experience for our players on the national stage.
The Lionesses’ emphasis on the importance of grassroots football at youth level is a major boost for the game. The Junior Premier League underlines this by bridging the gap between grassroots and academy football, giving players a direct pathway and real opportunities into professional and semi-professional football.
• Alnwick Town FC (Lucy Bronze)
• Ardwick FC (Khiara Keating)
• Astley and Tyldesley (Ella Toone)
• Bearsted Girls (Alessia Russo)
• Brandon Groves AFC (Michelle Agyemang)
• California Girls (Beth Mead)
• Cambridge City (Lucy Parker)
• Chadderton Grasshoppers (Anna Moorhouse)
• Ecclesall Rangers (Esme Morgan)
• Elloughton Blackburn FC (Jessica Park)
• Epsom Eagles (Lauren James)
• Furness Rovers (Georgia Stanway)
• Mossley Hill (Missy Bo Kearns)
• North Walsham FC (Lauren Hemp)
• Northfield Sports Association (Alex Greenwood)
• Old Xavs (Grace Clinton)
• Olga Primary School (Lotte Wubben-Moy)
• Pearson Juniors (Keira Walsh)
• Queens Park Rangers (Chloe Kelly)
• Scots Sport and Social Club (Leah Williamson)
• St Martins AC (Maya Le Tissier)
• Villareal CF (Hannah Hampton)
• Warndon Villages Boys (Laura Blindkilde Brown)
• Warwick Juniors FC (Jess Carter)
• West Kirby United FC (Niamh Charles)
• Weston Colts (Sophie Baggaley)
• Wimbledon Little League (Aggie Beever-Jones)