A Statue to commemorate the England women’s national football team’s success at the World Cup is set to be built outside Wembley Stadium, the Football Association (FA) has announced.
Brent Council has greenlit the plan with the next stage to work on the design, which could depend on Sunday’s World Cup final result.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham revealed that a plan was already in place following the Lionesses Euro 2022 triumph, with the possibility of a statue of the team’s manager, Sarina Wiegman, having been looked at by the FA and Brent Council.
Speaking from near the England team’s World Cup tournament base in New South Wales, Mr Bullingham announced that the governing body was having discussions about the design.
He said: “In terms of statues, it’s something we are looking at post-Euros. We’ve made progress on that, and it would be right to have something to commemorate that success outside Wembley.”
He added: “You have to go through various permissions – we’ve gone through that. The next stage is working on the design. Our starting point was more for plans around a collective, but we’ll see what design ideas come up. And you can imagine the iconic images that came out of the Euros. There’s some brilliant things which could be produced.”
The Lionesses secured their first major trophy at last summer’s European Championships and have the chance to add another to the collection just 13 months later with a victory on Sunday.
England will face Spain at Stadium Australia in their first ever World Cup final but it is understood that a statue will be built in the footprint of Wembley Stadium whatever the result. If they do win, any design may have to incorporate both trophies.
Mr Bullingham said: “We’ve made progress with the discussions, but I don’t think we can announce any more than that yet. You have to go through various permissions – we’ve gone through that. The next stage is working on the design. I don’t know the timescale because it’s not in our hands, it’s obviously related to Brent Council. I’m not sure I can give you an answer on that.”
Cabinet member for customers, communities and culture, Cllr Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, said: “Win or lose, the Lionesses have already made the nation exceptionally proud and we will be roaring our support for them as they look to bring home another trophy for the case on Sunday.
She added: “They have given us countless memorable moments during the tournament already, showing fierce resilience throughout and have inspired young women and girls up and down the country, including here in Brent. Of course if they win, we will work closely with The FA and partners to celebrate the momentous occasion however we can.”
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