England visit the Netherlands for a WU23 Euro League fixture at Velp on 24 October and play Portugal on Tuesday 29 October at Shrewsbury Town FC.
The October international window presents familiar opposition for the Young Lionesses, who last played the Netherlands in a 1-1 draw in Marbella in February 2024, while they previously faced Portugal in 2-0 victory at Manchester City’s Joie Stadium in October of last year. After going unbeaten in the European competition last season, the format has been enhanced for the 2024/25 campaign, with a group stage, semi-finals and final.
Head coach Emma Coates told englandfootball.com: “We can’t wait for the new season to start and to get the players and staff together again. Over the summer we’ve been working with the other European nations to develop the WU23 competition. We wanted to make it a more competitive experience for our Young Lionesses which will be hugely important for their development, so they can feel that added level of pressure whilst playing and wearing an England shirt.
“Over the last year we’ve had four WU23s players transition to the seniors, with three making their debuts. It’s going to be a really exciting season, and I can’t wait to see who’s next to follow in their footsteps.”
England squad:
Goalkeepers: Fran Bentley (Bristol City), Katie Cox (Chelsea), Fran Stenson (Southampton), Kayla Rendell (Southampton)
Defenders: Brooke Aspin (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea), Tara Bourne (Southampton), Anouk Denton (West Ham), Teyah Goldie (London City Lionessses, on loan from Arsenal), Freya Gregory (Southampton), Lucy Parry (Liverpool), Hannah Silcock (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Ruby Grant (Bk Hacken), Missy Bo Kearns (Aston Villa), Lucia Kendall (Southampton), Olivia McLoughlin (Rangers), Ruby Mace (Leicester City) Maisie Symonds (Brighton & Hove)
Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Brighton & Hove, on loan from Arsenal), Mia Enderby (Liverpool), Isobel Goodwin (London City Lionesses), Lenna Gunning-Williams (Tottenham Hotspur) Katie Robinson (Aston Villa), Missy Goodwin (Leicester City)
Tickets for the first home match of the season, which is in the half-term week, can be purchased from the club, priced at £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for under-14s.
