The famous Wembley Stadium arch will be lit red and white on Saturday evening as England continue their history-making run at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
England take on hosts Canada in a sell-out fixture during the early hours of Sunday (KO: 00.30 BST) for a place in the semi-finals, with the Lionesses winning through after a thrilling 2-1 defeat of former world champions Norway on Monday. This prompted the hashtag #Lionesses to trend worldwide on social media sites.
As well as the Wembley arch, a ‘good luck’ message will be displayed on the stadium big screen in the build-up to the game in Vancouver.
England v Canada
FIFA Women's World Cup 2015
Quarter final
12.30am, Sunday 28 June
BC Place Stadium, Vancouver
Live on BBC One
That victory was England’s first-ever win in a knockout match at the World Cup and has left confidence high before the weekend showdown with Canada. Following the outstanding ratings success of the tournament at home and around the globe the game has been moved from BBC Three to BBC One.
Mark Sampson’s side has grabbed the attention of the nation and millions of fans are expected to stay up late on Saturday to watch the team as they did to see Lucy Bronze’s stunning 76th-minute winning strike against the Norwegians.
Wembley Stadium will be lit red and white on Saturday night in support of our Lionesses
Before the finals, FA President HRH The Duke of Cambridge met the squad at the St. George’s Park national football centre.
Sending his support to the squad, he said: “As President of The FA, I am delighted that women’s football has become such a central part of our daily work across the country.
Prince William is presented with an England shirt by captain Steph Houghton
“The senior England team are the pinnacle of this and I am sure all football fans will join me in hoping they do well.
“Having had the chance to meet the squad and having followed their progress in qualifying, I know they are determined to do their very best. And I believe their involvement will inspire more girls up and down the country to get involved in the game.”
England celebrate Lucy Bronze's winner against Norway
FA Chairman Greg Dyke added: “I am delighted to see the England Women’s squad getting so much support.
"Everywhere I go people are talking about it. They have performed extremely well and I am sure they will give their all again when they take on Canada overnight on Saturday. To get to the semi-finals of the World Cup would be a remarkable achievement.
“On behalf of The FA, our best wishes go to Mark, his staff and all of the players. Also, there is no doubt that their exploits in front of millions watching around the world will help to grow the game even further.
"Young girls and boys across England will have seen what they have achieved and been inspired to get involved with football.”
England’s recent exploits – which have also seen 2-1 victories against Mexico and Colombia – have helped further The FA’s nationwide participation push ‘We Can Play’ - a campaign to break lingering preconceptions about female football and boost participation.
'We Can Play': Inspiring women and girls to play football
Despite its status as the largest team sport for girls and women in the country, peer-to-peer pressures, gender stereotyping and even the derogatory results of internet searches all contribute to a perpetuation of a negatively distorted image on the women’s game – which research has revealed is holding back greater participation in football.
The FA has released new data as part of ‘We Can Play’ to tackle the issue head-on - lifting the veil on the attitudes about football among 7-11 year old girls and their parents. Unlike tennis and netball, just over half of girls surveyed felt that football was a game for them. And among those that do play football, four out of five don’t feel confident in doing so.
Good Luck Lionesses. Wembley Stadium is behind you.
The attitudes of girls’ parents from this age group are also telling. Mums and dads are far less likely to encourage daughters to play football than sons and significantly they are also more likely to discourage daughters from playing than male children.
Beyond gender stereotyping concerns, The FA is seeking to spark wider debate about perceptions of women’s football.
‘We Can Play’ is aiming to canvass the support of 100,000 girls and parents as part of its drive to boost participation.
More information on the campaign plus opportunity to sign up and support women’s football can be found by visiting TheFA.com/WeCanPlay
