Leah Williamson highlights importance of the respect shown to England Women team

England Women captain Leah Williamson has spoken of the importance of the respect being shown towards the team after they had priority access to St George’s Park’s main pitch.

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses, who are preparing for this summer’s home Euros, trained on the Sir Bobby Charlton pitch at the Burton-upon-Trent base on Tuesday while Gareth Southgate’s men’s team, ahead of Nations League fixtures, did so elsewhere on the site.

Williamson said: “This is obviously something that’s important.

“We’re on a journey, women’s football is on a journey and we’re on the up, and we fight for that as much as we can in all areas.

“But the respect that we’ve been given, and the respect that our tournament has been given, bearing in mind we have a Euros in the summer, and the preparation and the facilities that we have access to…If you’d have gone back a couple of years this wouldn’t have been the case, and that’s just factual.

“So the fact that that is now (happening) is a big step in the right direction.”

Asked if it felt like this England Women team – whose session on the pitch on Monday was watched from the sidelines by Southgate and his skipper Harry Kane – would be the best prepared any have been for a major tournament, Williamson said: “Yes, I think so.

“Like I said, we’re on a journey and getting more recognition and more investment and stuff like that, and I think year-on-year you just notice an increase.

“It comes down to things like money, but also that respect, and that level of respect that the women’s game is getting, from the work that we’re doing and the people that are coming through the doors to watch us.

“And there’s no stone left unturned basically in these preparations, and hopefully it will put us in good