Lioness legend Jill Scott is confident that England will soar through their European Championship Qualifiers despite a tough draw.
The 37-year-old was part of the history making squad who clinched the European title at Wembley in 2022, retiring from the game in the golden aftermath.
Sarina Wiegman’s England will face France, Sweden and Northern Ireland in the recent Euro 2025 qualifying draw, a difficult test to overcome in order to defend their title.
Scott will be in the punditry seat this time round, but believes that the level of young talent that have not yet lifted the trophy can inject a new wave of energy into the squad.
“England got drawn a very tough group for Euros qualifying but I’m positive that they will get through,” she said.
“You have the likes of Leah and Beth who are back playing so we’ve definitely got that experience but then you see Grace Clinton coming through and she’s on the start of her journey in the England team.
“That young blood might go into it naïve but probably in a good way because they don’t have that pressure on them and it can inject that energy into the squad.
“Any squad that Sarina has though will be a successful one.”
Despite not being part of the team this time round, Scott revealed that she will still be part of the wider Lionesses environment as they return to the major tournament scene following their World Cup silver – most importantly the post-tournament party.
“We still all keep in touch and have a group called ‘Monday Night Out’ from the night after we won the Euros so it’s nice to keep checking up on each other,” said added.
“If they win, I’d be straight away writing in that group chat asking to go and celebrate with them.”
Scott was invited to give a keynote speech hosted by broadcaster Karthi Gnanasegaram on her journey within the game at the recent Women In Football Be Inspired Conference in partnership with Barclays.
The two-day event at Wembley Stadium was attended by approximately 800, with the Lioness opening up about both her positive and negative experiences off the field following retirement whilst urging people to ask questions and get involved in the inclusive network that is Women In Football.
“We know now that women in sport are getting more opportunities and it’s always about that equality piece but we might be missing out on that equity piece where people might need more help,” she said.
“We need to get away from that opinion that it’s not a weakness to ask for help and some of the best people I’ve worked with in football over the years are those people who said ‘I don’t know the answer, but I will go and get that for you’.
“Conferences like these are really important because they make you realise that you’re part of a wider experience.”
Image credit: Matthew Dickens/BeatMedia
