Riding on scooters, hugging Koala bears, whale watching, taking Insta snaps of Kangaroos... the Lionesses are building their team work off the pitch in a bid to repeat their path to Euro glory off it.
The players and camp insiders have told how everything is pitch perfect in Sarina Wiegman’s camp Down Under as they face their toughest test yet tomorrow. They go into the game against China in Adelaide knowing a defeat could end their World Cup dream despite two wins out of two so far.
Group D is so tight that just two goals against them could take the Asian Champions through with Denmark if the Danes defeat Haiti. But they believe their success in the past and the spirit of togetherness in Oz will carry them through.
The Mirror met with ITV's Katie Shanahan who has been living in the same hotels and following the team around Australia as they bid for World Cup victory. But it’s not the first time that the 31-year-old from Wimbledon, London, has been inside an England camp or visited Australia - after representing England Women’s Hockey team 10 years ago.
Katie said: “I know what it’s like being in an England camp and it can be very intense, they have such strict diets and training schedules, you’re far away from home and it can be really tough.
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“It’s so lovely to see the friendships in camp, all the players have their own little groups of really close friends and help lift each other up when they’re feeling down or homesick. In Brisbane four of them went out on scooters around the city’s botanical gardens, we saw Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly having dinner together in Betty’s Burgers or even just going to the beach together and just hanging out. They’re all really lovely girls and great fun to be around.”
Lucy Bronze cuddling a koala (Lucy Bronze Instagram)Katie, who went to the same university as Sarina Wiegman - University of North Carolina - also played in Perth with the Rockingham Redbacks for a short stint.
During her time in Oz this time round, Katie has become close with star striker, Lauren James, who scored a phenomenal winner just six minutes into the game against Denmark. The younger sister of Chelsea star Reece James, Katie revealed that Lauren wants to be known as an incredible footballer in her own right - not just related to one.
And despite her shy exterior the 21-year-old striker loves a laugh and enjoys gaming in her downtime, including playing the Playstation with big brother, Reece.
Ella Toone is all smiles with a kangaroo (Ella Toone Instagram)Katie said: “We have a really lovely relationship and she’s always smiling. She’s shy but behind the scenes she’s really funny and jokey. She is quite timid but if you listen to what she’s saying it’s really powerful.
“Her and Reece are dead close, they used to play football together in the back garden all the time and he comes to watch all her games when he can and he’s not playing himself. But she recently said she wants to just be known as Lauren James and not Reece James’ sister. She loves gaming, back home she plays playstation with Reece. She’s competitive and she loves football through and through.“
Mary Earps went whale watching (1maryearps/Instagram)And for Katie who gets inside access to closely guarded training sessions - the timid young striker could be England’s secret weapon and one to watch.
“She looks insane at training, I think she is going to absolutely blow up. She takes it around six players and scores top bins, you know she has got it in her locker. Everyone knows they have got a gem there, she is young and has such exciting talent. She is timid but you want her to express herself and have that confidence.
“Everyone makes a conscious effort to look after Lauren because she is one of the younger ones but when you’ve got that as talent you don’t want her to lose any confidence.
“If you get to know her she will open up, but at the end of the day she expresses herself on the pitch and that’s the best way to say it.”
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On her runs along the gorgeous Terrigal coast, where the Lionesses’ HQ are based, Katie often bumps into the players who FaceTime their loved ones on the beach, grab an ice cream or a coffee and the snaps for their Instagram pages.
And in a recent round of darts Katie clinched her own fluke-victory in a showdown against Rachel Daly - despite throwing the dart into the plasterboard wall just moments before!
Back home millions of views have been tuning in to watch the games and Katie revealed that an incredible 4.2million fans watched England’s opening match against Haiti on ITV.
“It’s fantastic being back in Australia and getting to see the girls in action living out their childhood dreams. I get on really well with Lucy Bronze, we are a similar age and we see eye to eye. She really lets her hair down but she’s really genuine, she’s unbelievably humble and she’s a big family girl.”
Katie Shanahan on the plane (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)Chelsea star Niamh Charles told of the team spirit fostered in their HQ in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Terrigal, New South Wales, a 56-mile drive north of Sydney.
“We are all in this together,” she said. “I want to help the team as much as possible first and foremost. This is an opportunity to get better but also to support the team as much as possible. There is so much to do in the camp, it helps to build relationships as well, I am big on table tennis, I am really trying hard with it, my parents and brother and sister have come out, which is really nice and also amazing that they get to experience this beautiful country.
Katie soaking up the sun (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)“I love going for a coffee - I know we all say that! and I love that and the food too. I am really into my reading, so it is sometimes about keeping your mind off it too.
“I read one intense book, one easy, one non fiction, one fiction; I have just read Growing up as an Aboriginal in Australia, it is really interesting to educate yourself and also Lessons in Chemistry, which is a great book. I have loved every minute really.”
Rachel Daly, now the third oldest member of the squad at 31 and a Euro winner, added: “We are grateful for the support and the love of the supporters back home and I am sure Keira Walsh feels the same way about all the messages which she has received.
“Building connections off the pitch, even playing table tennis we talk about football and that means we connect off the pitch...we build it off the pitch then it comes quite naturally.
“It is like going back into the Big Brother House a year later, but there is a different feel...this is the world’s greatest stage, the 2022 final was a special moment, but now we have different players and an even bigger tournament.”
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