England Women's under-23
Nickname(s)The Young Lionesses
AssociationThe Football Association
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachEmma Coates[1]
FIFA codeENG
First colours
Second colours
Nordic Cup
Appearances5 (first in 2004)
Best resultThird (2005)

The England women's national under-23 football team, also known as England women Under-23s or England women U23(s), is an association football team operated under the auspices of The Football Association.

Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior England women's national football team. As long as they were eligible, players can play for England at any level, making it possible to play for the U23s, senior side, and again for the U23s, as Natasha Dowie, Rachel Williams and Danielle Buet have done recently. In 2005 Casey Stoney played for the team in the Nordic Cup, despite already having 30 caps at senior level.[2] It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player is eligible). Helen Lander and Kylie Davies decided to play for Wales at senior level after playing for England U23s, while Sophie Perry elected to play for Ireland.

History

Beginnings

In February 1987 the Women's Football Association (WFA) appointed Liz Deighan to run a women's national under-21 team. Deighan had been a star midfielder in the England team which reached the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football. Four years later Deighan was not re–appointed and John Bilton took over. The team folded shortly afterwards because the WFA had run out of money. Eight of England's squad at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup had come through Deighan's U-21 team, including Pauline Cope, Karen Burke and Louise Waller.[3]

FA sanctioned team

In summer 2004, The Football Association (FA) decided to reconstitute the U-21 team in order to give women a higher level of play to better prepare them for the full national team. Senior team manager Hope Powell held a four-day camp in Shropshire and announced: "This is a major step forward for our international teams and will bridge the gap between Under-19 and Senior levels. We have been observing players in this age bracket for the last six months and with the clubs' assistance I believe we can make this a real success."[4] Powell installed her full-time assistant with the senior team, Brent Hills, as coach of the team, which remained an U-21 selection from 2004 through 2008.

Competing as an U-23 team (2008–2018)

2008 saw the change of England's youth national women's team moved to the U-23 level. The move was made by the FA in response to age-level changes FIFA had made to its oldest women's youth competition, now named FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The age limit was raised from being a U-19 tournament to a U-20 tournament. This adjustment, coupled with a newly introduced U-23 age limit to the Nordic Cup, prompted the FA to rethink and eventually change the youth development team. The team continues to serve as a stepping-stone for players to the England women's national team. Brent Hills explained that it had become more of a challenge to break into the senior team: "When I started, if you were an extremely talented 18-year-old you may have been able to get into the senior team. I'll give you an example, Fara Williams. You would have to be the next Kelly Smith now to be able to do that."[5]

England U23s did not have a permanent home. When England hosted a tournament in 2010, the event was held at University of Warwick where it was possible to attend and watch without a ticket. Because of the smaller demand compared to the senior women's national team, much smaller grounds could be used.

The team's last competitive tournament was the 2012 Four Nations Tournament, in which England finished third. They also competed in a variety of competitions, including the annual Nordic Cup, which was previously the top competition for this age group.[6]

Move to U-21 system (2018–2021)

In a bid to better aid the transition between the youth pathway and senior football, the FA announced in September 2018 that they were scrapping the U23s and U20s levels in order to form an Under-21s age group, which would become the top tier of the nation's professional development phase. The move would align England's structure to that used in other European countries to allow for more age-appropriate games and better manage individual player development post-U20 World Cup for those who have genuine senior team potential. The then U20s manager Mo Marley was announced as head coach.

Return of U-23 level (2021)

In October 2021, the FA announced the return of an under-23 team as newly appointed senior manager Sarina Wiegman looked to increase international playing opportunities for promising players in the senior pathway, particularly those who had aged out of the under-21 squad. Mo Marley was appointed head coach and tasked with also mentoring Emma Coates and Fara Williams as coaches.[7] The move came off the back of the cancellation of two editions of the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship and one FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, further limiting opportunities for youth international experience.[8]

Current players

The following 23 players were named to the squad for European U23 League matches against  France and  Spain in December 2023.

Head coach: Emma Coates

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Club
1GK Emily Ramsey (2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 England Everton
1GK Kayla Rendell (2001-06-29) 29 June 2001 England Southampton
1GK Lucy Thomas (2000-03-21) 21 March 2000 England Birmingham City
2DF Brooke Aspin (2005-07-01) 1 July 2005 England Bristol City (loan)
2DF Anouk Denton (2003-05-09) 9 May 2003 England West Ham United
2DF Naomi Layzell (2004-02-29) 29 February 2004 England Bristol City
2DF Ella Morris (2002-09-23) 23 September 2002 England Southampton
2DF Poppy Pattinson (2000-04-30) 30 April 2000 England Brighton & Hove Albion
2DF Mia Ross (2003-04-28) 28 April 2003 England Charlton Athletic
2DF Kiera Skeels (2001-11-20) 20 November 2001 England Charlton Athletic
3MF Laura Blindkilde (2003-09-09) 9 September 2003 England Aston Villa
3MF Ruby Grant (2002-04-15) 15 April 2002 Sweden BK Häcken
3MF Missy Bo Kearns (2001-04-14) 14 April 2001 England Liverpool
3MF Lucia Kendall (2004-05-20) 20 May 2004 England Southampton
3MF Ruby Mace (2003-09-05) 5 September 2003 England Manchester City
3MF Jess Park (2001-10-21) 21 October 2001 England Manchester City
3MF Molly Pike (2001-01-22) 22 January 2001 England Southampton
3MF Maisie Symonds (2003-02-02) 2 February 2003 England Brighton & Hove Albion
4FW Aggie Beever-Jones (2003-07-27) 27 July 2003 England Chelsea
4FW Freya Gregory (2003-01-12) 12 January 2003 England Reading (loan)
4FW Jessica Naz (2000-09-24) 24 September 2000 England Tottenham Hotspur
4FW Katie Robinson (2002-08-08) 8 August 2002 England Brighton & Hove Albion
4FW Ebony Salmon (2001-01-27) 27 January 2001 England Aston Villa

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the England squad within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Fran Stenson (2001-04-27) 27 April 2001 - - England Sheffield United v.  Portugal, 30 October 2023
GK Fran Bentley (2001-06-26) 26 June 2001 - - England Bristol City v.  Belgium, 25 September 2023
DF Tara Bourne (2003-07-16) 16 July 2003 - - England Sheffield United (loan) v.  Portugal, 30 October 2023
DF Asmita Ale (2001-11-03) 3 November 2001 - - England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Belgium, 25 September 2023
DF Grace Ayre (2002-01-14) 14 January 2002 - - England Durham v.  Belgium, 10 April 2023
DF Georgia Eaton-Collins (2000-06-09) 9 June 2000 - - Denmark HB Køge v.  Belgium, 10 April 2023
DF Jorja Fox (2003-08-28) 28 August 2003 - - England Chelsea v.  Belgium, 10 April 2023
DF Anna Patten (1999-04-20) 20 April 1999 - - England Aston Villa v.  Belgium, 10 April 2023
DF Charlotte Wardlaw (2003-02-20) 20 February 2003 - - England Chelsea v.  Belgium, 10 April 2023
DF Lucy Parker (1998-11-18) 18 November 1998 - - England Aston Villa v.  Belgium, 20 February 2023
MF Melisa Filis (2002-07-30) 30 July 2002 - - England West Ham United v.  Portugal, 30 October 2023
MF Grace Clinton (2003-03-31) 31 March 2003 - - England Tottenham Hotspur (loan) v.  Belgium, 25 September 2023
FW Emma Harries (2002-03-29) 29 March 2002 - - England West Ham United v.  Portugal, 30 October 2023
FW Missy Goodwin (2003-01-27) 27 January 2003 - - England Leicester City v.  Belgium, 25 September 2023
FW Angela Addison (1999-12-09) 9 December 1999 - - England Charlton Athletic v.  Belgium, 10 April 2023
FW Eleanor Dale (2002-02-09) 9 February 2002 - - United States Nebraska Cornhuskers v.  Belgium, 20 February 2023
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury

Recent schedule and results

2023

16 February 2023 Friendly England  0–0  Spain Burton upon Trent, England
Report Stadium: St George's Park
20 February 2023 Friendly England  4–1  Belgium Birkenhead, England
19:00
Report
Stadium: Prenton Park
6 April 2023 Friendly Portugal  2–3  England Marinha Grande, Portugal
16:00
Report
Stadium: Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande
10 April 2023 Friendly Belgium  0–0
(2–4 p)		  England Genk, Belgium
15:00 Report Stadium: Cegeka Arena
21 September 2023 European U23 League Norway  1–1  England Bryne, Norway
17:30
Report
Stadium: Bryne Stadion
25 September 2023 European U23 League England  3–0  Belgium Shrewsbury, England
18:45
Report Stadium: New Meadow
Attendance: 2,500+
26 October 2023 European U23 League Italy  1–1  England Vercelli, Italy
  • Correlli 65'
 Report
Stadium: Stadio Silvio Piola
30 October 2023 European U23 League England  2–0  Portugal Manchester, England
19:00 GMT
Report
  • Soba Yellow card 90+3'
 Stadium: Academy Stadium,
Attendance: 1,449
30 November 2023 European U23 League France  0–1  England Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, France
Report
Stadium: INF Clairefontaine
4 December 2023 European U23 League England  1–1  Spain Burton upon Trent, England
  • Morris 30'
 Report
Stadium: St George's Park
Note: Venued changed from Pirelli Stadium due to waterlogged pitch.

2024

26 February 2024 European U23 League Netherlands  v  England
4 April 2024 European U23 League England  v  Sweden

Coaches

References

  1. ↑ "Coates appointed at WU23s head coach". www.englandfootball.com. 27 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Nordic challenge for U21s". The Football Association. 29 June 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Lopez 1997, p. 68
  4. ↑ "Soccer: Heatherson looks for England place". Evening Echo. 16 June 2004. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  5. ↑ "U23s begin 'rigorous programme'". The Football Association. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "The Official Site of U.S. Soccer – U-23 WNT". Archived from the original on 2 January 2009.
  7. ↑ Association, The Football. "England Women's U23s squad named for Belgium trip in October 2021". englandfootball.com.
  8. ↑ Frith, Wilf (18 November 2020). "FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups cancelled". SheKicks.

Bibliography

  • Lopez, Sue (1997). Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football. London, England: Scarlet Press. ISBN 1857270169.
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