The FA's player pathway is working, but still needs more work to keep up
England have qualified for the U17 and U19 Euros in the same year for the first time since 2008, but in some key areas still lag behind rival nations...
On the surface, things couldn’t be going a lot better right now for England at international level.
Sarina Wiegman has led the senior team to success like the nation has never seen before in the women’s game, including the historic Euro 2022 success on home soil, following that up with a run to a first World Cup final 12 months later.
The Football Association has not been shy about the work it has done to develop the women’s game, pouring money into the right places over the past decade to try and not just catch up with world leaders such as the USA, but usurp them.
A near-miss against said rivals in 2019 only increased the spark, which was lit when the FA went all out for European champion Wiegman to prize her away from her home nation after Phil Neville left before the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
But like many associations, they understand much of the work has to start at the bottom, developing players into a pathway which eventually leads to the senior team.
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At the 2023 World Cup, England was the only country where 100% of their 23 players selected had all come through at least one of the youth national teams.
Altogether, 23 players have transitioned from the youth teams to a senior debut over the past five years, and had the highest increase of players under the age of 25 integrate into the squad between World Cups in 2019 and 2023, six of which played in either the Euro 2022 or 2023 World Cup finals.
The new ETCs have also had a desired effect on development, with the talent base increasing by an incredible 265% from 1,722 players to 6,215.
At youth level, that work is also being seen in hard evidence on the pitch. 2024 is the first year since 2008 England has qualified for both the Under 17 and Under 19 European Championships, Natalie Henderson’s side’s run to the U17s final in June ensuring just a third appearance at the Under 17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic in October.
“We were very grateful to be part of the tournament,” said Henderson, who will lead the group in October’s showpiece youth tournament. “It shows where we are in the current pathway, it’s heading in the right direction. The girls were happy, but the bigger picture is it’s heading in the right direction.”
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