England Women are coming to Carrow Road this month as the stadium hosts a feast of international football.
England, Spain, Germany, and Canada will compete in the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup, a round robin tournament consisting of four of the world’s top 10 sides.
The match at Carrow Road against Spain takes place on Sunday, February 20, with a 3.15pm kick off. It will be the first time the Lionesses have played in Norwich since 2006. Their current squad boast some of the biggest names such as Fran Kirby, Ellen White, and Beth Mead.
The latter is relishing the opportunity her side has to impress a new crowd at an historic stadium ahead of this summer’s European Championships which will be held in England.
“I know we travel a little bit,” said Beth. “You get different atmospheres; you get different people watching; different crowds. It’s really nice to get more people involved seeing the Lionesses. I mean there's a lot of history in these stadia and they are where you want to play.”
Spain will be England’s opponents on Sunday, February 20, one of the most talked about teams on the international scene. Featuring most of the Barcelona side, widely regarded as the best team in the world at this moment, it will be the perfect test for Sarina Wiegman’s squad.
Beth anticipates a stern test ahead: “Spain are a team that are just constantly moving and passing. Basically, you feel like you're chasing shadows. It will be good to see what we get right and wrong in and out of possession and learn from it either way.”
One thing is certain, the Lionesses will want a big crowd behind them as they kick off an important few months and tickets sales are already going well for the Carrow Road fixture. More than 8,000 people have purchased tickets for the game, which is higher than the number of supporters who have bought tickets for other England games in the competition against Canada at the Riverside Stadium, on February 17, and against Germany at Molineux, on February 23.
Beth had a message for fans, who haven’t bought a ticket, but were thinking of attending: “I think as a team and as individuals, we're very proud to play for England. We play with our hearts on our sleeves, and we'll always give 100%. I think it's that rawness of the women's game and it’s personability is just what makes it different. I would say to people to come out and watch and see what they think.”
Carrow Road will also see Olympic gold medallists, Canada, take on Germany in the second match of this double-header. Don’t miss out! Get your tickets today at www.arnoldclarkcup.com.