Sport LiANNE SANDERSON
It went virtually unnoticed, but England’s women’s football team reached the final of European Championships in Finland last summer. Germany may have emerged as champions, but England’s journey showed just how much the women’s game has progressed in this country. The Cut sought out one of the squad’s brightest prospects, Chelsea’s Lianne Sanderson. Lianne’s love affair with football started at the age of six when she played for her local boys’ team. By the age of nine, she was already being scouted by all the leading names and, after a successful first trial with Arsenal, began an eleven year stint with the club that included winning the FA Cup and Premier League. A prolific goalscorer, she scored 40 goals in 41 appearances for Arsenal, only to beat her own record last season when, as a Chelsea player, she scored an amazing 51 goals in 36 appearances. She already has 24 caps and five goals for England under her belt: “I loved playing for Arsenal and Chelsea but playing for your country is something you can’t describe. When you pull on that shirt and start singing the national anthem it’s the biggest honour you can have. My favourite memories probably come from playing in the World Cup and in the European Championship final.” Despite not gaining that European title, Lianne is clear that women’s football has a bright future. “With a 6-2 loss
64 THE CUT
people are going to look at the result but you have to remember this is the first time ever we’ve made it to a European Championship final and I think we can take encouragement from that. The next time we get that opportunity we want to win it. I’m confident we can do something in the World Cup in 2011”. Women’s football is growing in this country, but still seems to suffer from a lack of coverage: “I think it’s because there aren’t enough people out there that are fighting our corner. There are only two live games a
year on the BBC, one of them being the FA Cup Final, and if I play in that the amount of recognition I get is amazing. If there were games on TV every week our profile would grow.” With women’s football in England not yet enjoying professional status, many players leave to play abroad. This includes Lianne who has been drafted to play for the Philadelphia Independence, something she is extremely excited about. “They could have chosen anybody and the fact that they
chose me meant a lot. They believe I can go there and do well and score goals. For them to have so much confidence in me means I cant wait to go over there and show what I can do on the biggest stage.” With her international career on the up and a new challenge in the US to tackle, the coming year looks exciting for Lianne: The Cut wishes her well.
Text by Drew Mark Photography by Akwasi Tawia Poku