Source: SNAPPA
Premier League stars, celebs and even Nicola Sturgeon are backing the Lionesses
It’s official – the England team have been breaking barriers for women’s football in the last couple of weeks and the nation is behind them for tonight’s semi-final against Japan.
And if you don’t believe it’s a big deal then check this out – no less than Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Olympic knights Redgrave and Pinsent and even the skyline-dominating BT Tower have come out in support of the Lionesses.
As heard first on @BBCWomansHour I'm backing England in the women's World Cup semi final tonight #Lionesses #comeonengland
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) July 1, 2015
Watch Sir Steve Redgrave and @matthewcpinsent wish @england #lionesses good luck! #FIFAWWC
https://t.co/pwVZD8eNrH
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) July 1, 2015
Good luck #Lionesses in the World Cup semi-finals from all of us here at BT Sport. #ENG pic.twitter.com/lnjFSreDtb
— BT Sport (@btsport) July 1, 2015
The efforts of captain Steph Houghton and her team in Canada have not gone unnoticed by their male counterparts (who may have bigger salaries but a lot less success on the international stage) and Premier League stars are out waving their England flags:
England women doing the country proud. Huge congratulations on reaching the semi finals
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) June 28, 2015
Good luck to the @england Women's World Cup team for tonight's semi final #Lionesses #comeonengland !!
— Theo Walcott (@theowalcott) July 1, 2015
The @england women are doing the country proud! Hope they get a result tonight against Japan. I'll be watching! Good Luck #Lionesses
— Phil Jones (@PhilJones4) July 1, 2015
Ready to cheer on the women's team tonight! Believe and #BeTheDifference 🙌🻠#FIFAWWC #ENG
— Luke Shaw (@LukeShaw3) July 1, 2015
Good luck to the England ladies tonight! No fear #bethedifference #FIFAWWC
— Kieran Gibbs (@KieranGibbs) July 1, 2015
Plenty of female sport stars are behind the team too including Heather Watson, who issued a rallying cry fresh from closing out a tight first round match at Wimbledon, and former Olympian Louise Hazel.
Girl Power!! #Lionesses https://t.co/Wa5ETOUkR9
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) July 1, 2015
Huge congrats & good luck to our #Lionesses @karenjcarney @laurabassett6 @JillScott12 who are breaking barriers!!! pic.twitter.com/D4ApfaVTPs
— Louise Hazel (@LouiseHazel) July 1, 2015
Amid festival season fever celebs have also found time to track the team’s progress to the last four and will no doubt be biting their nails with the rest of us tonight.
Hear us Roar : http://t.co/TLc46WiIUg 🇬🇧 Yes England!!!!!!!!!!!!! #semifinals #Lionesses âš½ï¸ðŸ¾ #love pic.twitter.com/eL9tBWQ0eN
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) June 28, 2015
Wow congratulations girls!! So proud @england let's do this :) xx
— Jess Glynne (@JessGlynne) June 28, 2015
Congrats to the @England team! #Lionesses Making us so proud!! pic.twitter.com/M4EOEw3zST
— Rudimental (@RudimentalUk) June 28, 2015
Talking about breaking barriers, the Lionesses are even stars of a Panini sticker album in their own right and will be featuring in the FIFA 16 video game as well, so with a bit of success tonight some household names could emerge.
@OfficialPanini YESSSS! I finished @england ! #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/pAHt6WeNU7
— DaveDavros1736 (@DaveDavros1736) June 19, 2015
The question is whether England can drive this sort of impassioned response from the fans tonight?
A male #USA fan dresses up as '99 #FIFAWWC hero Brandi Chastain for #USAGER: http://t.co/3WgML4tufm pic.twitter.com/U33E7X0zAN
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) June 30, 2015