Tottenham captain Bethany England will lead her team out at Wembley on Sunday for the club’s first women’s FA Cup final.
The England striker had a trophy-laden career at Chelsea before making the move across London last year and now she is determined to help Spurs lift the FA Cup for the first time by beating Manchester United.
England, who also won the European Championship with the Lionesses in 2022, hopes her experience can be a crucial factor in turning Spurs into trophy winners.
Ahead of the final, she talks silverware, becoming a leader on and off the pitch and enabling her club to believe they can ‘achieve bigger and better things’.
You won a lot of silverware with Chelsea but what is it like now being on the brink of clinching a first women’s FA Cup for Spurs?
I just want to win everything. I want to be the best I can be at what I do and I want my team to succeed.
There are different meanings behind winning at both clubs. For me, I’ll never forget winning my first FA Cup at Wembley, especially with a team like Chelsea.
It was what most people dream of and to be in a position now where I could lead a team out with the captain’s armband at a sold-out Wembley, potentially raising some silverware the club has never had for the women’s side – and where it’s been a long time since the men’s side won any either.
We know it would be a huge moment, a monumental occasion for the club and it would be something that I would very much treasure for the rest of my career.
What’s it been like as captain of Spurs this season and does it come naturally to you to take a leadership role on and off the pitch?
I’m a very strong character in that I hold my beliefs, my values, very highly. I’ve always spoken out on things I believe in, both in football and life.
As we grow older, we gain more experience. I’ve become more confident in speaking up. It gets to a point where I think you live so many experiences that you just kind of want to help people.
The captaincy role is not something I ever saw myself having and I was quite shocked when I got asked to take on that role. I’ve learned a lot about myself and the skill set I have or that I’ve picked up.
I’m a very caring, personable person, my values and my beliefs on fairness and everyone having a voice but not just being able to speak up but to be heard as well. And I think a lot of that comes into the leadership of trying to lead the team, making sure that everyone feels valued.
Everyone has a key role to the success of that team. And not only that but also link into it off the pitch. I feel like everyone does have a voice and if mine can help ignite some confidence in someone else to speak up and use their voice, then why would I not want to do that?
Because ultimately, I would just love it if everyone’s in a safe, happy, healthy environment. Obviously, that is not the world we live in today. But the more people that can advocate for these situations, the better.
How do you think the move from Chelsea to Tottenham has developed you as a person and a player?
I learned a lot there. I worked with a lot of different people from different countries and learned different styles of play.
And in a way I feel like I learned so much without realising what I’ve learned until you need to use those experiences. I’ve been around such amazing leaders, not just at Chelsea but England as well, and being able to take that into Spurs has been massive.
I can use those skills to help the team’s mentality, to be able to want to win more and do more. And believe in ourselves that we can achieve bigger and better things.
Bethany England is raising sun protection awareness as O2 launches its ‘Sun Case’ smartphone accessory, with a built-in 10ml tube of Green People’s SPF30 sunscreen
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