SARINA WIEGMAN says more needs to be done to tackle the lack of diversity in women’s football.
And the Lionesses boss is eager to see more black players in her England team.
The head coach was speaking before her Euros-winning side’s upcoming friendly games against Japan and Norway.
Wiegman, 53, told Sky Sports: “I would love to see more black players in the team.
“For me, with the senior squad, the process is done already, so I pick the best players and whoever that is, I’ll pick the best players to perform.
“But I do think we need to do more, and the FA is doing more, to give access to everyone that wants to play football.
“The team shared the letter calling for every girl to have access to football.
“That also counts for every boy, every girl, whatever skin colour you have, needs to have access to football, in England, in Europe, in the world.
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“We really have to work on that and the FA is working on that.”
In the summer Wiegman’s 23-strong Euros had three players of black and mixed-race heritage in Nikita Parris, Jess Carter and Demi Stokes.
In contrast, the starting 11 that competed in the 2009 tournament final, led by former England boss Hope Powell, included: Anita Asante, Eniola Aluko and Alex Scott.
And Powell, 55, had Lianne Sanderson and Jessica Clarke as substitutes.
Low numbers of homegrown black, Asian and minority ethnic footballers in the women’s top flight is an ongoing concern.
Regional training centres being located far away from diverse areas with young female players has been identified as an issue.
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This year the FA said it aims to address the challenge of boosting inclusivity and providing “better accessibility”.
In July the association established 60 Girls Emerging Talent Centres for eight to 16-year-olds
They aim to see the numbers of young female players on FA programmes rise from 1,722 to 4,200 by 2024.
Wiegman has backed her players, who are demanding more football training for girls in schools, to press for change.
The England chief added: “We have so many powerful players and personalities in our team, and they’re using their voice to address these things.
“These little girls and boys see them playing football and think, ‘I can achieve that too’. That’s really nice to be part of.”
Wiegman will be without the services of Alex Greenwood and Lucy Bronze for her team’s game against Japan.
It is hoped Greenwood will be available for the team’s game against Norway on Tuesday.
And Lucy Bronze will also be absent from tomorrow night’s game against Japan after testing positive for Covid-19.
However, the Barcelona full-back remains in camp and could be back in the squad when she returns a negative Covid test result.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
