WomensFootball.eu comments - Nice to see the girls get off to post China international football with a good win. No after the lord mayors show type disappointments and a professional performance although maybe a bit more clinical in front of goal would have been nice. Bring in Becky Angus !! She’s the best striker England have available at this time and it must be about time Helen Lander got a run out too. The lack of goals from the strikers is becoming a major annoyance to those of us who watch the progress of the team and know that we could do better if a few other players were given a chance. No Corinne Yorston at left back either which bemuses me too….David

England 4 Belarus 0

Scott 11, 64, Smith 33, Aluko 49

TheFA.com reports-
UEFA Women’s European Championship
Qualifying Round, Group One
12.30pm, Saturday 27 October 2007
Banks’s Stadium, Walsall FC

England secured three qualification points towards Euro 2009, and ensured they carried on where they left off at the World Cup in China with a dominant win over Group One rivals Belarus.

Faye White was the only absentee through injury, but England built on their progress and took another step on the long qualifying journey to the next major championship in Finland in two years time.

Alex Scott scored her third and fourth goals of 2007, while captain Kelly Smith and Eniola Aluko also struck to give a suitably emphatic tone to the scoreline.

Just ten minutes into the game England took the lead through an unlikely source as Alex Scott found herself in the six yard box to head home the opening goal. The chance was created after a fine run and cross from Eniola Aluko, Fara Williams picked up the loose ball at the far post and crossed for Scott to glance the ball into the net.

Although she was deployed in midfield and attack during the World Cup, Scott returned to her familiar right-back role in this encounter, and took her tally toseven goals in 34 appearances for her country with the first goal of the match.

In the moments that followed there was a flurry of chances to increase the advantage with Katie Chapman going close on three separate occasions. The second of her three efforts came after a terrific save from Sviatlana Novikava to deny Kelly Smith rebounded into her path, but she was unable to keep her header down.

Rachel Yankey then went close with a close-range volley that narrowly went wide of the post, pouncing on a Chapman header and acrobatically driving the ball goalwards. Just after the half hour mark England doubled their advantage through skipper Kelly Smith, again with a headed goal as Alex Scott was scorer-turned-provider.

It was an inch-perfect delivery from the Arsenal defender to pick out her teammate on the penalty spot, and Smith made no mistake as she headed the ball forcefully past Novikava.

Shortly before the interval England had a golden opportunity to further cement their lead, Karen Carney burst through on goal having been found by Chapman and instinctively shot at goal when a square pass to Aluko would have surely lead to a simple tap-in for the Chelsea forward.

The opportunity was a distant memory as the teams returned from half-time and Aluko added her name to the scoresheet. Kelly Smith played a perfectly weighted pass into her path and Aluko glided past the last defender and slotted the ball into the far corner.

Aluko then played her part in a sweeping move that gave Hope Powell’s side a fourth goal, and a second for Alex Scott. Aluko and substitute forward Lianne Sanderson swapped a superb one-two on the edge of the area before Sanderson angled the looping ball across goal for Scott to fire the ball into the roof of the net.

It was little more than the Three Lions deserved as the growing strength of the squad was emphasised by substitutes Sue Smith, Lianne Sanderson and Jill Scott all coming on and making an impact on the game in the second period.

Great news for women’s football from the FA. Hot off the press fom the FA’s Alex Stone -

After England’s Women reached the quarter finals of the World Cup last month and climbed into the world’s top ten for the first time, the grassroots is also set to receive a major boost, in no small part due to the influence of Prime Minister, Gordon Brown MP.

The FA, FA partner Tesco and the National Sports Foundation are joining forces in a £1million funding and development programme which will be formally announced at England’s Euro 2009 qualifier, in front of a full house at Walsall FC this Saturday.

The Prime Minister followed England’s fortunes at the World Cup, faxing the side a good luck message before the quarter final tie against the USA, and was instrumental in the formation of the National Sports Foundation.

“It is excellent to see The FA, the National Sports Foundation and Tesco joining together to invest in developing girls’ and women’s football in this way.

“Encouraging active lifestyles among our children is a key priority for the government, and I have every expectation that this programme will provide an excellent example of how wider participation of young people in sport and exercise can be achieved.

“The achievements of Hope Powell’s England team in the World Cup in China raised the profile of the women’s game enormously and I am confident that the inspiration this provides, along with grass roots support from partnerships such as this one can succeed in giving new impetus to women’s football in England.”

The three key initial priorities of the partnership are:

to increase participation and ensure that girls and women can join a local club;
to increase the number of female coaches, volunteers, leaders and referees, and;
to increase opportunities for under-represented groups, particularly females with disabilities and females from black and minority ethnic communities.

FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick travelled to China to watch Hope Powell’s side in World Cup action against Germany and Argentina, and welcomed the funding from both Tesco and Government.

“The Women’s World Cup was a major landmark moment for a fast-growing sport. The likes of Kelly Smith and Faye White are fantastic role models to the 150,000 girls and women playing affiliated football every week, but that is still a very small percentage of the female population.

“With a childhood obesity crisis looming in coming years, The FA can play a major role in getting more young children and adults active and healthy.

“Funding from organisations such as the National Sports Foundation will ensure The FA engages even more girls and women in the sport and we hope it will be a platform for further FA-Government partnership in the future”

Two brand new national grassroots cup competitions will also be launched for girls at U14 and U16 level. The Tesco Girls Cups will see clubs from all over England competing at county and regional level, with the best teams in England playing in finals set for May 2008.

Derek Mapp, Chairman of Sport England, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with the FA and Tesco to support the Women and Girls Development Programme. This type of initiative shows that sports are reaching out to new audiences better than ever before. I am sure it will be a huge success.”

England v Spain
6pm, Sunday 25 November 2007
Shrewsbury Town FC

Shrewsbury Town’s 9,875 capacity ‘New Stadium’ will host England’s UEFA 2009 European Women’s Championship qualifier against Spain on Sunday 25 November. Kick off will be 6pm.

The match will be the second international that Hope Powell’s side will play on home soil following their recent World Cup campaign, and the third of their European qualifying campaign, which opened with a 4-0 victory over Northern Ireland in May. England’s group also contains the Czech Republic and Belarus.

“Being chosen to host a prestigious match like this is obviously a great honour for the club” said Shrewsbury Town Chief Executive, Steve Wellbeloved.

“As important, it underlines that the new stadium is a huge asset for Shrewsbury and Shropshire and can play an invaluable role in focusing positive attention on the area to the benefit of the local community and businesses.

“There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes on this and it’s great to have achieved a milestone in hosting a prestigious senior international so early in the stadium’s life.”

England last played Spain in 2001, when two of the current England squad were on the score sheet; Sue Smith scoring a hat-trick and Kelly Smith the other in a 4-2 victory at Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road

Spain are currently ranked 20th in the world and despite some impressive performances at youth international level – they won the UEFA European U19 Championship in 2004 – they haven’t yet transferred that promise at senior level.

However, a 3-0 away victory in their sole Euro 2009 group game to date against Belarus will ensure England guard against any complacency, whilst the current crop of Spanish U19s recently demonstrated their prowess, scoring 26 goals and conceding none in three games, including a 0-0 draw against England.

England Head Coach Hope Powell has been in charge of The Three Lions for over nine years, and has seen her players build a profile and interest in the women’s game that has reached an all-time high.

Looking ahead to the game, she said: “It’s great that we have two home games so quickly. For those fans who supported us during the World Cup and tuned into our games on television, this is an opportunity to see the likes of Kelly Smith, Faye White and Katie Chapman in the flesh, maybe for the first time.

“Another factor in coming to Shropshire was the vibrant grassroots girls and women’s football scene, so we’re expecting and hoping that a lot of people come out and support the girls, as they deserve it.”

Eve Bailey is the Girls and Women’s Football Development Officer for the Shropshire FA and has been instrumental in boosting participation rates of females in the county.

“What bigger thrill could a young local girl have than seeing their idols in action” said Eve, after hearing of the news earlier today.

“We now have around a thousand girls and women playing football every week in the county, with 60 teams across U10-U16 age groups in the Shropshire Girls League and eight teams in the Women’s County League.

“We also have around 60 young girls who train twice a week at the Shrewsbury Town Girls Centre of Excellence, and I’m sure that a large number of these players will be out in force next month.”

Tickets for the game will cost £5 for Adults and £2.50 for concessions, by calling the Shrewsbury Town ticket hotline on 01743 273943.

England will play Belarus in a Euro qualifier at the Bank’s Stadium in Walsall on the 27th October.

Tickets are on sale now and I have heard today that they are now selling tickets for the last remaining stand so it should be close to a sell out.

I’m hoping to be there so I hope you will be too !

England v Belarus
UEFA Women’s European Championship
Qualifying Round, Group One
12.30pm, Saturday 27 October 2007
Banks’s Stadium, Walsall FC

Everton and England left back Rachel Unitt has put one of her China 2007 World Cup shirts up for sale on Ebay.

It’s a rare chance to pick up a future collectable of a real official England shirt as worn by the England squad at the World Cup in China. It is also unusual in having Rachels squad number 14 instead of her more familiar number 3.

Rachel is going to sign it and it can be personalised if required.

You can take a look at the auction here -