Published 15 July 2023 2 min read
England Women's Senior Team
World Cup diary: Laura Coombs on 'outdoorsy' Aussies as preparations ramp up
The Lionesses midfielder discusses World Cup warm-up with Canada and the squad's preparations in our latest entry for the World Cup diary
LAURA COOMBS: ENGLAND PROFILE
We brought our first week in Australia to an end on Friday when we played a training game against Canada at the Sunshine Coast Stadium.
It was a really good test for us too, Canada have a great squad and lots of experience, so it was the perfect preparation fixture.
It's a week until our first game now, and it's starting to feel really real. The preparations are going well and everyone is starting to look sharp and we’re ready to get the tournament underway.
It’s been a great first week here and as players, we’ve had a great balance so far. We’ve been training in the morning and then in the afternoon, just getting to do things which we wouldn’t necessarily be able to do at home.
It was a really good test for us too, Canada have a great squad and lots of experience, so it was the perfect preparation fixture.
It's a week until our first game now, and it's starting to feel really real. The preparations are going well and everyone is starting to look sharp and we’re ready to get the tournament underway.
It’s been a great first week here and as players, we’ve had a great balance so far. We’ve been training in the morning and then in the afternoon, just getting to do things which we wouldn’t necessarily be able to do at home.
That could be a walk along the beach, watching the kangaroos or even the whale watching we did earlier in the week. It's fair to say that we’ve had some great downtime and it’s put everyone in good spirits.
Everyone we’ve met here has been really welcoming and friendly too and it’s just a great experience to see the local culture and how people are.
I’d say everyone here seems very outdoorsy, they have good coffee as well and a lot of us have been trying that, so we’re all happy with our lot at the moment.
Being here for a World Cup really is a dream come true though. When I look back on all the highs and lows over my career, it makes you think that those times were all worth something.
Every time you got knocked down, that had a purpose so that makes it even greater just to be here and experiencing it all.
Everyone we’ve met here has been really welcoming and friendly too and it’s just a great experience to see the local culture and how people are.
I’d say everyone here seems very outdoorsy, they have good coffee as well and a lot of us have been trying that, so we’re all happy with our lot at the moment.
Being here for a World Cup really is a dream come true though. When I look back on all the highs and lows over my career, it makes you think that those times were all worth something.
Every time you got knocked down, that had a purpose so that makes it even greater just to be here and experiencing it all.