It’s fair to say women’s sport will be taking centre stage this summer, with a stellar line-up set to keep England fans entertained.
Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will begin their defence of the Women’s Euros in Switzerland next week, as they bid to follow up their groundbreaking triumph at Wembley in 2022.
GettySarah Glenn, Ellie Kildunne and Niamh Charles are targeting major success with England in cricket, rugby and football respectively[/caption]And this barely scratches the surfaces when it comes to major events in the coming months, with England’s Red Roses aiming to create a similar legacy when they host the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August.
Just a month later, it will be another sport’s turn, as the Women’s Cricket World Cup kicks off in India in September, where England will target a first tournament glory since 2017.
Before any major events get underway however, there is the small matter of England Cricket’s joint series against India.
In a first for the sport in this country, the England Women’s team will play India alongside both the Men’s side and Men’s Mixed Disability team over the next month.
Under new head coach Charlotte Edwards, England will begin their first of five T20s against India at Trent Bridge on Saturday, followed by three one-day internationals in preparation for the World Cup.
With a blockbuster summer of women’s sport ahead, talkSPORT.com brought together three stars at the heart of this huge period.
Lioness Niamh Charles, Red Rose Ellie Kildunne and cricket star Sarah Glenn sat down exclusively with talkSPORT.com at the ECB’s Class of 25 event at the Kia Oval to look ahead to each of their exciting summers.
Sarah Glenn – England Cricket
GettyGlenn, left, has become one of England’s leading bowlers since making her international debut in 2019[/caption]Since making her international debut in 2019, leg break bowler Sarah Glenn has established herself as a key fixture in the England set-up, but her path wasn’t always quite so clear.
Growing up, the 25-year-old also represented England in hockey, playing internationally for their youth sides.
When asked how she juggled the two as a youngster, Glenn laughed as she replied: “I was pretty young at the time, and I was doing A-levels as well, so it was purely carnage to be honest!”
Having since settled on cricket, Glenn has gone on to represent her country a total of 91 times across ODIs and T20s.
While she will sit out England’s upcoming T20 series against India, the Derbyshire native was clear on just how significant it will be for the Women’s team to feature side-by-side with the Men’s and Men’s Mixed Disability teams over the coming weeks.
She said: “It’s just starting to see England cricket as one rather than just the England men or the England women, which I think is really crucial for us and especially young kids coming to watch it.
“They [fans] don’t just come to watch the men or the women, they just come to watch England cricket.
“And I think that’s a strong message across not just cricket, but obviously we want to see that more and more with other sports as well.”
Beyond the hugely exciting Test Series and ICC Women’s World Cup in September, Glenn also has the mouth-watering prospect of a home World Cup to look forward to in the not-too-distant future.
GettyGlenn has previously represented England at the both the 2020 and 2024 Women’s T20 World Cups[/caption]England will play host to the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, having tasted glory the last time they hosted the event in 2017.
And having been in the crowd as a teenager to witness her country’s previous major tournament success, Glenn admitted she would relish to chance to go from fan to player.
Looking ahead, the London Spirit star said: “It’d be really good to be a part of a home World Cup.
“I’ve never done anything like that before. And I was here for one of them back in 2017 when they won.
“So it’d be cool to lift the trophy actually being with the girls rather than being in the crowd.”
Niamh Charles – England Lionesses
GettyNiamh Charles has won 23 caps for England[/caption]Fresh from lifting a fifth consecutive Women’s Super League title with Chelsea, defender Niamh Charles now has her sights set firmly on further glory with the Lionesses in Switzerland.
Sarina Wiegman’s side get their campaign underway against France in Zurich on Saturday, July 5, live on talkSPORT.
And having narrowly missed out on the England squad for their historic Euro 2022 triumph, Charles revealed just how keen she was to be part of another ground-breaking summer.
The Blues star said: “It’ll be really exciting to be on the other side of it, hopefully. And hopefully we can do well and create another story.
“I think what they did in the Euros was incredible. And how they’ve used that as a springboard to grow women’s football and the women’s game in general in the UK.
“So as I say, on the pitch, we’re focused on doing what we can. But also to look at the wider game and sort of women’s sport in general.
“But hopefully it can be a really exciting summer of women’s sport.”
GettyThe 26-year-old has won five WSL titles in five years at Chelsea[/caption]On how important this summer could be for women’s sport as a whole, she added: “I think the time is right now, if you look even in a year, hopefully for all of our sports, the revenue, the investment, etc. will have come on a lot more again.
“I also think we have a responsibility, I quite enjoy it, as footballers to use our platform to help the other sports and vice versa, because I think that’s what is the strength of women, lifting each other up.”
Ellie Kildunne – England Rugby
GettyKildunne won the Six Nations for a sixth time earlier this year[/caption]For Ellie Kildunne, the upcoming World Cup represents a chance to round off a stellar 12 months which has seen her named 2024 World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year, as well as claiming the Six Nations Grand Slam in April.
When asked for her thoughts heading into the summer, her response was emphatic: “I’m buzzing.”
The 25-year-old continued: “We know how incredible it could be.
“If we keep on training to the best of our ability, and pushing ourselves each day, it will be a summer to remember.”
She added: “I’m excited for what’s to come. But I also can’t imagine what’s going to come from it as well, which is a special place to be in.”
After falling just short of World Cup glory in 2021 with defeat in the final, Kildunne is looking to go one further on home soil, having taken inspiration from both the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 victory, and their run to the final of the 2023 World Cup.
She explained: “I was so inspired, as much as the whole world, was when the Lionesses won the Euros.
The Harlquins star continued: “And it’s not just the Euros – the World Cup – I remember watching it and being in tears at the end, because I know that feeling, and just feeling like I’ve got this connection to them as well.
“But that inspires people, whether you win or you don’t win, you’ve got the ability to really light a fire inside of people, and find their passion first of all, that might not even be there.”
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