Williamson: We want to create football fever
England midfielder Leah Williamson hopes the Lionesses’ Southampton homecoming helps give supporters football fever ahead of next summer’s home Euros.
Williamson captained her country in Sarina Wiegman’s first match in charge, as England blitzed North Macedonia 8-0 in their first match in front of fans since the start of the pandemic.
With St Mary’s also set to host the Lionesses in Euro 2022, Williamson hopes the team left a lasting impression on the 8,240 in attendance.
“We want to give people the fever,” she said. “We want people to be invested in our journey.
“I always say we’ve had such a good summer supporting the boys in the Euros and, being fans in that, we know what it’s like to feel that way about football, and that’s what we want to give to other people.
“It’s been great to have them back and obviously to score goals and give them a day out to remember.”
Wiegman was overseeing her first game in charge of the team since her appointment more than 12 months ago.
“It was really nice – the pitch is really good, so we enjoyed it,” she added. “The stadium is very nice and there were lots of people, so it was really good to see the English crowd and the fans.
“The atmosphere was great, and after the game when the girls could wave to the fans it was so nice to be here.”
