England women's national under-23 football team

The England women's national under-23 football team, also known as England women Under-23s or England women U23(s), is a now defunct association football team operated under the auspices of The Football Association until 2018. The team now operates as England Under-21s.

England Women's U-23
Nickname(s)The Young Lionesses
AssociationThe Football Association
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachMarieanne Spacey
FIFA codeENG
First colours
Second colours
Nordic Cup
Appearances5 (first in 2004)
Best resultThird (2005)

Its primary role was the development of players in preparation for the senior England women's national football team. As long as they were eligible, players could 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.[1] 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.[2]

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."[3] 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 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."[4]

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.[5]

Move to U-21 system

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.

Current players

2017 Nordic Tournament roster

The U-23 women will compete in the Nordic Tournament in Norway against the U-23 teams of Sweden, United States and Norway from 6 to 12 June 2017.[6]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Sophie Baggaley (1996-11-29) 29 November 1996 10 0 Birmingham City
1GK Megan Walsh (1994-11-12) 12 November 1994 3 0 Yeovil Town
2DF Hannah Blundell (1994-05-25) 25 May 1994 15 1 Chelsea
2DF Aoife Mannion (1995-09-24) 24 September 1995 10 0 Birmingham City
2DF Paige Williams (1995-03-10) 10 March 1995 8 1 Birmingham City
2DF Jessica Carter (1997-10-27) 27 October 1997 4 0 Birmingham City
2DF Molly Bartrip (1996-06-01) 1 June 1996 3 0 Reading
2DF Meaghan Sargeant (1994-03-16) 16 March 1994 3 0 Birmingham City
2DF Gabrielle George (1997-02-02) 2 February 1997 5 1 Everton
3MF Jodie Brett (1996-03-09) 9 March 1996 6 0 Bristol City
3MF Leah Williamson (1997-03-29) 29 March 1997 6 0 Arsenal
3MF Abbey-Leigh Stringer (1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 2 0 Birmingham City
3MF Sarah Mayling (1997-03-20) 20 March 1997 1 0 Birmingham City
3MF Millie Turner (1996-07-07) 7 July 1996 1 0 Bristol City
3MF Keira Walsh (1997-04-08) 8 April 1997 4 0 Manchester City
4FW Melissa Lawley (1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 14 3 Manchester City
4FW Bethany England (1994-06-03) 3 June 1994 12 4 Chelsea
4FW Claudia Walker (1996-06-10) 10 June 1996 5 2 Everton
4FW Freda Ayisi (1994-10-21) 21 October 1994 5 0 Birmingham City
4FW Beth Mead (1995-05-09) 9 May 1995 5 2 Arsenal

Coaches

References
  1. "Nordic challenge for U21s". The Football Association. 29 June 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  2. Lopez 1997, p. 68
  3. "Soccer: Heatherson looks for England place". Evening Echo. 16 June 2004. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  4. "U23s begin 'rigorous programme'". The Football Association. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  5. http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_12189697.html
  6. "Young Lionesses squad named for the annual Nordic Tournament". The Football Association. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.

Bibliography
  • Lopez, Sue (1997). Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football. London, England: Scarlet Press. ISBN 1857270169.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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