Ini a few hours England are playing Germany in the final of a major European tournament. The England vs Germany football rivalry is almost as old as football itself (the score is 12-10 to England) and includes, of course, the famous World Cup final in 1966. This time, though, it’s the England women’s team that are playing, and the match will be broadcast live tonight on BBC Two (from 4:45pm) and on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra (from 5pm).

Yesterday afternoon, we spent a few minutes speaking to Kelly Smith, one of the team’s strikers. She used to play for Arsenal ladies team, but as of earlier this year now scores for Boston Breakers in the US.

Us: Have the preparations for these Championships differed much this time around?

Kelly: “Not really, but preparation for the World Cup in China where we spent a couple of weeks in Macau acclimatising helped a lot. The experience of China, as a squad was important. That was the first major tournament we’d played in twelve years. We learnt a lot from that experience. Coming into this tournament now we’ve still got that core group of players that experienced China, the demands of tournament football, the rest and recuperation, eating right. And we’re as fit as we ever have been.”

There are six in the sqaud that play in the US women’s professional soccer league. How does playing in the US differ from playing in the UK?

“In America the sport is more accepted. A lot more girls play and it’s not seen as a man’s sport over there, which it can be in England. Our fan base is young girls and their families, and we get six to eight thousand coming to watch, whereas playing for Arsenal we used to get around two hundred on a Sunday afetrnoon. In America the teams really get out into the community, there’s a strong community link and so you get people at the games.”

And how have you enjoyed your first season over in the US?

“I’ve really enjoyed it. I was there in 2004 before the league was suspended so I knew what to expect, as a professional athlete. But it was a big deal for me because I was at Arsenal for four years and really happy with what I’d done in the game. But I felt that I needed a new challenge and went out there and I picked up the first WPA Player of the Month award, which was great, but then I picked up a slight knee injury which slowed me down a bit. But other than that, I had a great time out there and I’m ready to get going again in March.”

Tell me about the new kit. How do the team like it?

“It’s very smart. And as each kit is tailored to each individual, we have measurements for different areas, like the hips on the shorts and to have that option (of a tailored kit) is great because if you feel comfortable in your kit then your performance is going to be better on the pitch. It allows you to move more easily on the pitch. I like it.”

What do you personally do to prepare ahead of games?

“I watch some DVDs and chill out. I also do visualisation techniques before the game which help me to prepare.”

The men have a star above the England crest due to their one World Cup win. How confident are you that you’ll be able to getting a star on your kit after Thursday night?

“That would be amazing. We feel like this is our best chance of winning a final and the best time to play Germany so we’re really confident. We feel like we haven’t played our best football so far in the tournament, so we’re hoping and praying that all eleven players turn up and put in the performance of their lives. We’ve never beaten Germany but that’s not to say we can’t make history and beat them tonight.”

Every team has a joker. Who’s the joker in the women’s team?

“It’s Alex Scott. She’s quick witted and funny and the one with the most banter in the dressing room!”

image: wikipedia

Good luck!

See also:
Jaqui Oatley’s BBC Blog post
The Guardian’s excellent round-up of the final