Lionesses hold talks with Prime Minister Liz Truss over equal access to football for schoolgirls
- Published
Arsenal defenders Wubben-Moy and Williamson were part of the Lionesses side that won England's first major trophy since the men's World Cup in 1966
England's Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy met with the UK prime minister Liz Truss on Monday to discuss equal access to football for girls.
The meeting comes after England's Euro 2022 winning side signed an open letter to then Conservative party leadership candidates Truss and Rishi Sunak.
The letter asked for "every young girl" to be able to play football at school.
"This is not a gesture from the players, it is a passion," said Baroness Sue Campbell.
The FA's director of women's football, who was also present at Monday's meeting with Truss and culture secretary Michelle Donelan, added: "They are very committed and just like the determination you see on the field they are just as determined to make this happen."
Sarina Wiegman's side won England's first major trophy since the men's 1966 World Cup at this summer's European Women's Championship after beating Germany 2-1 in the final.
Spearheaded by Wubben-Moy, the letter asked for Truss, who has since become prime minister, and Sunak "to make it a priority to invest in girls' football in schools, so that every girl has the choice."
The team highlighted in the letter that only 63% of girls can play football in PE lessons, according to a Football Association (FA) campaign, external published last year.
England captain Williamson and Wubben-Moy will meet the education minister in November as they continue to address the issue.
"They [Williamson and Wubben-Moy] understand there has got to be a process here but they were very clear that this is not just a nice thing they are trying to do, this is something they care passionately about and it's something they want to see happen," Campbell said.
England play the Czech Republic in Brighton on Tuesday after defeating world champions the United States at Wembley on Friday.
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