Lucy Parker: West Ham and England defender says positive conversations held over playing at London Stadium | Football News

Lucy Parker says there have been “really positive conversations” after the defender expressed her frustration over her membership West Ham having not performed girls’s matches at the London Stadium.

In a put up on Twitter final week responding to the Hammers’ announcement that their males’s U18s crew have been to play an FA Youth Cup semi-final at the bottom, Parker wrote: “When will we get a recreation at the stadium?

“Only WSL [Women’s Super League)] side not to have a game at the men’s stadium and haven’t played there since 2019. Made an FA Cup semi-final last year too so can’t be that.”

Asked about that on Tuesday at a press convention at St George’s Park, the place she has been making ready with England for matches over the subsequent few days towards Brazil and Australia, Parker stated: “There have been really positive conversations.

“For me, I simply consider that we as females have a duty to go away this recreation in a greater place and that is the one place that my frustration has come from.”

A key goal of West Ham’s new-look girls’s crew board – to which Hammers vice-chair Karren Brady was appointed final month – is to host a fixture at the London Stadium, a floor the membership doesn’t personal.

Parker might discover herself making a senior England debut at a packed-out Wembley on Thursday when England tackle Brazil in a sold-out Finalissima.

The centre-back has been recalled by Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman having beforehand come into the squad forward of final October’s friendlies towards the United States at Wembley – which was additionally bought out – and the Czech Republic in Brighton.

Parker then needed to withdraw earlier than the video games after sustaining an damage whereas playing for West Ham.

The 24-year-old stated of the prospect of Thursday: “I think it’s going to be a crazy experience. When I withdrew from the previous camp I still went to watch the game and it was crazy even from the stands, so to be on the pitch on Thursday will be incredible.”

Describing her feelings when she needed to pull out of the squad earlier than, Parker stated: “It was a hard time, to sort of wrap my head around what had happened and probably to date, it was mentally one of the toughest things I’ve experienced, because playing for England has always been sort of the end goal for me.

“There’s at all times that stress of ‘will my likelihood come once more?’ But I had spoken to Sarina upon leaving that camp and she simply stated ‘simply give attention to getting again match and we’ll take one other look’.

“It meant a lot. Leaving was hard, but knowing I just needed to get my body in a good place and get back playing and do the best I could to make her notice me again.

“I used to be cleansing my toilet [when she was recalled by Wiegman] and missed her name and then we performed telephone hookie for a bit of bit and I finally received maintain of her.

“[It was] happiness and relief that the chance had come back again and just pride. The second we hung up, I rang my mum. There were a lot of happy emotions.”

Having had the preliminary setback not lengthy after England received the Euros, Parker has now returned for what’s the Lionesses’ remaining camp earlier than Wiegman names her squad for this summer time’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

She stated: “I think the biggest message [from Wiegman] has been to just be yourself and not worry about anything that could happen in the future. Just embrace this week and show what I can do.”

Earlier on Tuesday, greater than 60 former England gamers have been in attendance at St George’s Park to obtain their particular person legacy caps, with skipper Leah Williamson amongst members of the present squad who made the shows in a ceremony.

The Football Association final November dedicated to introducing legacy numbers for England Women to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the Lionesses.

England Women squad

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Sandy MacIver (Manchester City), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)

Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lucy Parker (West Ham), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona)

Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Jess Park (Everton), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Katie Robinson (Brighton)

What is the World Cup schedule?

The group stage will start on July 20 and run over a two-week interval ending on August 3 and see group winners and runners-up progress to the spherical of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.

The quarter-finals, which might be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.

The first semi-final will then be performed on August 15 in Auckland, with the opposite semi-final going down on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which can then host the ultimate on August 20.

A 3rd-place play-off might be performed the day earlier than the ultimate on August 19 in Brisbane.