ANY QUOTES USED MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO MURNAGHAN, SKY NEWS

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Now then, the popularity of women’s football in England has grown rapidly in recent years and this afternoon could mark a real turning point.  The England women’s football team are taking on Germany in a sell-out game at Wembley, so will that popularity be matched at the grassroots of the game?  We hope so and we’re joined now from Wembley in the pouring rain by Kelly Simmons, who is the Director of Women’s Football and the national game for the FA, very good to talk to you Kelly, thanks for standing there. Do you think the weather will deter any of those crowds, outselling the men, the last time they played at Wembley I believe.

KELLY SIMMONS:  That’s right, yes.  Hopefully it won’t put people off coming down today, I’m sure it’s going to be soon but it’s fantastic to have 55,000 people here today to support the England women’s team who have just come off the back of a fantastic World Cup campaign, winning ten out of ten, scoring over fifty goals and making many fans along the way and I think that shows that today.

DM: I was going to talk about that World Cup campaign, a bit of a blot on that whole record wasn’t it, 30 points from ten games, maximum points and they let in one goal!  

KELLY SIMMONS:  That’s right, the players were gutted.  Ukraine away but we scored over fifty so, but today is a bigger test obviously.  No disrespect to anybody we played in those qualifiers but Germany is one of the top sides in the world and they are the sorts of teams we need to be playing now as we prepare to go forward to the World Cup next year.  

DM: Have you ever beaten Germany?  

KELLY SIMMONS:  I can’t recall one, I’ve got to admit, no.  They have won five European Championships in a row, they won the World Cup in 2007, they are a great side so it will be a real test today but that’s what we need.  

DM: As you mentioned there, their European Champion wins and they are the reigning ones and England had a pretty lacklustre campaign at the last Euros, how has the team rebuilt itself and gone forward and stormed through as we mentioned there, the World Cup qualifiers?  What’s different?  

KELLY SIMMONS: Well we’ve got a new management team in place, Mark Sampson and Marion Spacey have come in, there is fantastic morale in the camp.  New players have been brought in, younger players, players like Leanne Sanderson have come back who has been playing in the States and I think that’s helped.  We have got new fresh players in the squad as well and there seems to be a real confidence around the camp and that’s got to be great.   

DM: We often talk about this don’t we so update me, is the enthusiasm for the game flowing down to the grassroots, both in terms of participation and people wanting to watch it?  

KELLY SIMMONS:  Yes, very much so.  In terms of participation we are now the biggest women’s team sport in this country, 1.7 million girls and women play some sort of football and it is growing year on year.  That’s going to help England, that’s going to help strengthen the Women’s Super League in time as well and bring more fans into the game.  The Women’s Super League this year had an incredible season, it went right to the wire, probably the most exciting finish yet when three teams could win on the last day and the crowds there have been up 30% this year as well so we are really pleased with the way the Women’s Super League is going.  

DM: Okay and we’ll end, Kelly, with your prediction for today’s game, I hope England like the wet!  Do you think they can do it?

KELLY SIMMONS: I think so, yes.  We played Sweden in a friendly recently, they are one of the top sides and we beat them 4-1 so that must give the players some confidence so with the crowed behind them, hopefully we can get something out today.  

DM: There is some criticism of the pitch isn’t there?  I am not asking you to criticise the Wembley authorities but they have let a lot of those big hefty American footballers trample over it in recent months.  

KELLY SIMMONS: Yes, they have but the players trained on it yesterday and they are really pleased with it. They are absolutely thrilled to be playing at Wembley in front of the crowd, they have got no problems with the pitch at all and won’t be blaming the pitch today.  They trained on it yesterday and they said it was good.

DM: That’s great to hear.  Kelly, thank you very much indeed, best of luck to the team, we will be glued. England-Germany, a must watch.  That’s Kelly Simmons there, Director of the Women’s FA.