Take a look around England's World Cup base in Australia

The England squad this week opened the doors to their Women’s World Cup base in Terrigal to showcase the facilities and provide an insight into how the squad's new surroundings can hopefully help aid performance.

Situated around 50 miles away from Sydney, where the Lionesses will take on Denmark in their second group game, the players and support team were left stunned when they arrived at their new home last Sunday.

Having prepared for the World Cup at Sunshine Coast in Queensland before moving to Brisbane for their opening match with Haiti, the team have now made Terrigal their home for the remainder of the competition.

And you couldn’t fail to notice how the base camp has become a home from home tucked just back from the sands of Terrigal Beach in New South Wales, where the Darkinjung community are the Traditional Custodians of the land.

With a wall of balloons depicting the flag of St. George welcoming all visitors in the hotel reception, the stairway up to England’s inner sanctum leads to the area where our Lionesses can ensure they’re both fully prepared for their fixtures as well as bonding among the excellent facilities on offer.

Whether it’s player-led messaging on the walls and corridors, a mural featuring all 23 players in the squad or the ever-popular England Football themed team image of the group sporting the kits of their own grassroots clubs, there’s no shortage of inspiration.

We can't get enough of our new base camp – and nor can @alessiarusso7 🤩 pic.twitter.com/KBw3rQ8Lw6

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 26, 2023

With the support of our lead partner Nike, the customary coffee spot has become a busy port of call for both players and staff in the main foyer, where there’s also a range of activities such as painting, crafts and table football on offer for that all important down time.

The ‘Scott Relaxation Room’, named after former Lionesses Jill Scott, provides a calming atmosphere and a spot including screens to watch World Cup games, play table tennis, darts, arcade and video games and an extensive library of books to read.

 

Along with the ‘White Room’ for team meetings and the ‘Parr Room’ for dining, there’s further inspirational messaging and branding all around. Rachel Yankey, Mary Phillip and Fara Williams are the other legends honoured with rooms named after them, connecting the past with the present.

“The concept of a base camp for us is just to have a home from home environment where people can relax and down tools, but also prepare for matches to come,” revealed FA women’s technical director Kay Cossington who, along with the England Women's general manager Anja Van Ginhoven, started the search for England’s base as far back as December 2021.

“The location is important for us, giving people time both inside and outside where they can enjoy the surroundings, the weather and the beach and an opportunity to refresh.

“Keeping people working hard but fresh in mind and body for players and staff is super important.

“Being here now feels quite surreal, considering we started in December 2021 with a huge country, not knowing where we were going to be located.

“The search began in May 2022 within the potential locations where we might be, resulting in us having a top three of all the locations we could be in once the draw was made.

“When we walked into this place, we had a feel of what it could be but the team who have transformed this place into our home have surpassed all expectations.

“Nike’s partnership is really important to us and you can see from the transformation in the hotel, relaxation areas and craft spaces they’ve invested in and the support they’ve given us this has been a real partnership from the start.”

While the squad can recharge and relax at their base, the physical work takes place 12km away at the Central Coast Stadium, home of local club Central Coast Mariners.

As well as having one of the best playing surfaces in Australia, the newly-installed gym facility at the venue will also be left as a legacy for the club to use going forward.

“We feel as though here at Terrigal and our training venue at the Central Coast Stadium, we’ve really found world class venues,” added Cossington.

And the squad's impact will live on long after the tournament ends.

"We have a higher purpose in everything we do so we wanted to leave a Lionesses’ legacy.

“Central Coast Mariners are starting their first women’s team from September so as part of our investment into the gym there and thanks to the support of Nike, we have made the decision to leave the kit and equipment.
 
“It’s fantastic to hand that over as part of their start-up. They have an English coach too, so it feels like we have a real connection to that club as well and we’ll watch them from afar in the years to come.”

See more photos from the camp below...