Lioness Leah Williamson opens pitch in hometown
Laura Foster/BBCLioness captain Leah Williamson has opened a new pitch in her honour in her hometown.
The Arsenal defender and Euro 2022 winner opened The Leah Williamson Pitch at Newport Pagnell Town FC, near Milton Keynes, on Monday night.
The project was financed by the Lionesses' Future Fund Grants, which is a £30m fund for grassroots women's football in England.
Williamson said it was "lovely" to see so many girls enjoying playing football in a safe space.
'Let them play'
The Lionesses' Future Fund Grants was founded in 2023, to recognise the success of the team. It is supported by the Premier League, the FA and government's Football Foundation.
The grants were aimed at providing women and girls with "gold standard facilities and experiences".
Ant Saddington/BBCWilliamson said: "It’s crazy, I was speaking to my mum this morning and she reminded me I used to come down here at 6am before school and train, just my own individual sessions, just because that’s what you had to do back then.
"And now returning and seeing so many girls playing, if I’d had this when I was younger who knows."
She said it was "crazy" to see the amount of girls who were now training at the pitch.
"These girls probably go to the school I went to and suddenly they’re all loving football, it’s mad.
"I've been passionate about not taking the choice away from girls, but here it’s not even let them choose, it’s let them play.
"They want to play football, it’s lovely to see."
Ant Saddington/BBCWilliamson said she hoped a new England captain was among those training on the pitch and believed, with the use of facilities, they would be better than her.
"It’s a safe space and space where they’re the priority, that’s abnormal so to speak, it’s not a competition, just the facilities to play.
"If we take that option away from them before they even begin - what are we doing?
"One day it will be normal and we won't have prioritisation, we’ll have boys and girls on that pitch all the time," she said.
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