England’s Lionesses take a boat trip on the Thames as they prepare for Sunday’s Euros final

The England Lionesses have their very own devoted workforce of cooks making ready meals – with beans on toast a giant winner among the many workforce.

Three cooks on the Lensbury Resort have been assigned to arrange meals for the squad, ensuring they don’t seem to be solely nutritious however offering power for the twice day by day coaching periods.

Favorite meals choices chosen by the workforce embrace grilled rooster and pasta dishes with the menu rigorously ready by a nutritionist assigned to the squad by the FA.

However striker Bethany England has revealed hers – and most of the workforce’s favorite pre-match meal – is beans on toast.

‘It is not on the usual menu at the Lensbury and we don’t even serve baked beans with any of our meals, however this was a specific request,’ mentioned a supply on the resort.

‘It’s a giant favorite with the workforce – maybe the key ingredient that may assist them win the ultimate’

The workforce even have the selection of selecting from the common menu served on the Lensbury with meals resembling fish and chips and steamed pollock.

There may be additionally a alternative of 5 salads with quite a few vegetarian choices, together with a falafel burger.

These gamers searching for a candy repair may selected from Banana cut up or sticky toffee pudding among the many deserts.

The Lensbury – which boasts former Arsenal striker Paul Merson as a member – can have hosted the England workforce for nearly a month by Sunday night.

Win or lose, the workforce plan to return to Teddington, south west London, on Sunday night time the place they are going to be given a heroes welcome regardless of the rating.

‘We’ve actually liked having them right here and everyone seems to be behind them,’ mentioned a member of the employees.

‘They have been brilliant and so friendly. They were always signing autographs. I saw one of the women recording a message on a phone for a fans that was ill and unable to attend any of the matches.

The squad have been able to wind down in between training and matches in a relaxation room fitted out with giant bean bags and a Big Brother style Diary room with players encouraged to talk with a psychologist to offload any problems.

To avoid the players getting bored darts, table tennis, basketball and cards have been laid on by the resort.

There have also been karaoke singalongs and a less traditional games associated with football stars –hide and seek.

Staff members were asked to dress up as a fox with the players seeking them out.

Midfielder Jill Scott told the BBC: “They didn’t really look like foxes.’

And Lauren Hemp added: “They looked like clowns. We walked around in pairs and you had to find a fox. They would give you a fact and you had to say whether it was true or false.

“If you got it wrong you would do a challenge – like a TikTok video.”

It comes after the Lionesses spent their Saturday relaxing on a boat trip ahead of the grand finale of the women’s Euros against eight-time winners Germany at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Staying close to their 25-acre grounds of their Teddington hotel base, the footballers enjoyed a boat ride on the Thames in their sports gear just three days before the European showdown.

The footballers were in good spirits as they enjoyed the scenic views under overcast weather, having a moment to recuperate in-between training for the big day on Sunday.

Hosts England waltzed past Sweden in Tuesday’s semi-final, the second-ranked team in the world, with a 4-0 win on Tuesday and will face the eight-times European champions at Wembley in the highest attended edition of the tournament, with the 87,200 tickets having sold out.

Record TV audiences for the final are expected, with the highest UK peak for women’s football at 11.7million for the England World Cup semi-final against the US in 2019, where the Lionesses lost 2-1.

Bramall Lane reached a record attendance for a European Women’s Championship semi-final with 28,624 fans in the stands.

There was a peak TV audience of 9.3 million watching the England v Sweden semi-final on Tuesday, as well as two million streams for the game across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app.

Tickets for Sunday’s showpiece at Wembley – which has a 87,200 capacity – have sold out.

Millions are also watching in Germany, Their quarter final against Austria was watched by 9.5m, 38 per cent of TV viewers, a German record for a women’s Euros match.

Sarina Wiegman’s aspect, who’ve received 11 consecutive matches, have now grow to be the primary England ladies’s workforce to succeed in a significant closing since 2009. 

Mary Earps, Ella Toone, Lucy Bronze, Fran Kirby, semi-final goalscorers Alessia Russo and Beth Mead, Rachel Daly, Ellen White and Millie Vibrant smiled as they chatted amongst one another on the boat trip on Thursday.

Chelsea defender Jess Carter put her ft up on the boat’s picket bench to place herself in good stead for Sunday’s massive match – the place she is going to face cut up loyalties as she goes head-to-head in opposition to her German goalkeeper accomplice Ann-Katrin Berger, 31.

The workforce are simply 90 minutes from clinching the European trophy in opposition to Germany, who has already amassed eight European titles, and solely twice since 1987 have they not reached the ultimate. 

English Beth Mead has scored six instances thus far within the event, and Germany’s Alexandra Popp has discovered the again of the online six instances too – that means they’re neck and neck within the race for the Golden Boot prize.

They have been pictured in a coaching session on Wednesday at The Lensbury Resort lodge base, in addition to having fun with a sunny stroll with their supervisor yesterday, defusing the rising stress of the upcoming closing with their spherical of takeaway coffees.

Head coach Sarina Wiegman, 52, joined the Lionesses as they drank down their refreshments, with solely three days to go till they stroll out of the tunnel earlier than a sold-out crowd at Wembley Stadium on Sunday earlier than the 5pm kick off.

Millie Vibrant was pictured deep in dialog with somebody on the cellphone, as she and her fellow Lionesses method the tip of a month-long event that has stored them dwelling out of lodges and in a state of intensive coaching.

Former England ladies’s coach Phil Neville mentioned he was pleased with the Lionesses and hailed the workforce that may contest Sunday’s Euro 2022 closing in opposition to Germany as ‘very particular’.

‘I do not suppose I’ve ever seen a workforce method a significant event and principally destroy each workforce that is available in their path,’ Mr Neville mentioned.

‘Seeing them with a smile on their faces, seeing them play with freedom, seeing these gamers play to their absolute most of their potential, I feel it is a good factor.

‘The English FA should take lots of credit score for the funding that they put into the ladies’s sport however these gamers and that supervisor are very particular.’