England Lionesses past and present have joined a campaign by a leading lingerie brand to encourage teenage girls not to drop out of sport.
As fans count down to the start of the World Cup on Thursday, legendary Lioness Fara Williams, 39, and Chelsea player Reanna Blades, 18, have teamed up with Bluebella lingerie’s #StrongIsBeautiful campaign.
The campaign encourages girls to be proud of their bodies and keep playing team sports, and sees the two sports stars don an array of lingerie for a stunning shoot.
It comes as the Lionesses prepare to kick off their World Cup campaign with their opening match against Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday.
Fara said: ‘There is a big drop off in women’s football around the age of 13. I have coached girls at that age and their bodies are changing so quickly and you can see that they really struggle with that.
Wow! Former England Lioness Fara Williams has posed in a slew of lingerie for a defiant new campaign by a leading lingerie brand to encourage teenage girls not to drop out of sport
Stunning! Chelsea player and England U19 player Reanna Blades showed off her toned physique in Bluebella lingerie’s #StrongIsBeautiful campaign
Confident: The campaign encourages girls to be proud of their bodies and keep playing team sports, and sees the two sports stars don an array of lingerie for a stunning shoot
‘Often girls would come back after the six week summer break and during that time they had gone through a major transition into young women, looking different and feeling different.
‘They struggle with what their body is changing into and often just want to cover up, and sometimes don’t want to put on a football kit and be more visible.’
‘I think we have to educate from a young age about the changes girls experience in sport and how we can support them during that process to make them feel more comfortable and confident.’
Fara Williams was capped 172 times for England as a central midfielder in an international career that spanned over 14 years.
The sports star played at three World Cups, coming third in Canada in 2015, and is covering the tournament for the BBC.
In that time women’s football has become much more popular and the England team are seeded fourth going into the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Fara said that attitudes towards women playing football have improved a great deal since she started out but there’s still a long way to go.
‘Back when I was at school for a girl to want to play football was seen as quite different to the norm, and you had to be really resilient at sticking with it,’ she said.
‘I think with the success of the Lionesses and greater exposure to women’s sport is helping to improve things but it’s still lacking the support that the boys get and girls are still treated like second class citizens in the sport.’
Reanna, who plays in England’s U19 squad, said the message is that girls’ teams are simply not regarded as important as the boys’.
Stellar: Fara Williams was capped 172 times for England as a central midfielder in an international career that spanned over 14 years
Progress: She said that attitudes towards women playing football have improved a great deal since she started out but there’s still a long way to go
Speaking out: Reanna, who plays in England’s U19 squad, said the message is that girls’ teams are simply not regarded as important as the boys’
Opinion: She went onto say that she believed the best way forward is to invest more in girls teams and have exactly the same set up as the boys
Reanna said: ‘Girls are not given the opportunities that the boys have. Facilities and kit are not as good, and there are often negative attitudes towards female players from the boys especially when it comes to competitions.
‘Boys don’t want girls in their teams, they feel it’s not fair especially if they are playing against other all-boys teams.
‘At school you are always encouraged to watch the boys’ team play but no one is asked to watch the girls’ matches. A good friend of mine stopped playing at 13, she was a really good player but she’d had enough of the way girls were treated.’
Reanna went onto say that she believed the best way forward is to invest more in girls teams and have exactly the same set up as the boys.
She said: ‘It’s so important for girls to have their own teams, and to motivate them from a young age to want to do it. Hopefully after a successful World Cup more girls will get interested in the sport and we can really grow from there.’
Reanna has played at U19 level for England and hopes one day to play in a major tournament in the senior team, adding: ‘We are definitely good enough to win the World Cup this year.’
Her star pick for the team is her Chelsea team-mate Lauren James: ‘I really respect how good a player she is. What she can do with the ball and how she can get out of certain situations is incredible, she will be a great asset to the squad.’
While the men’s side managed to make it to the quarter-final’s of the Qatar World Cup in 2022, the Lionesses could do one better as they are one of the favourites to go all the way in this competition.
But there are plenty of impressive other sides in the tournament, with the USA and Spain perhaps also being two of the favourites to win.
The Women’s World Cup is set to commence on July 20, as New Zealand will kick off the tournament against Norway, while Australia’s first game against the Republic of Ireland will follow.
Not long now! It comes as the Lionesses prepare to kick off their World Cup campaign with their opening match against Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday
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