Countdown to Women's Euros with borough as host venue reaches 500 days

The new identity for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 competition was unveiled to mark the milestone of 500 days to go.

The name has been changed slightly to reflect the year-long postponement and there is a new logo.

Leigh Sports Village (LSV) is on the list of stadia where the continent's finest female footballers will battle it out for silverware.

Organisers say the Euros are set to be the biggest women's football tournament staged in Europe as the game continues to grow in popularity.

And the local authority hopes there will be a long-term legacy from playing matches in Leigh.

Leader of Wigan Council, Coun David Molyneux, said: “Next summer is set to be another showpiece of women’s football at the highest level, and we are incredibly proud that Leigh Sports Village will be playing its part as a host venue in UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.

“With the competition set to be the largest ever women’s Euro to date, we want to ensure the tournament acts as a catalyst for new teams and facilities in the borough with lots more girls encouraged to take part.

"Having two huge sporting tournaments come to the borough in the space of a year shows how much of an attractive proposition Wigan and Leigh is for organisers."

The competition has been postponed for a year due to Covid-19 and it is hoped that will mean increased exposure and coverage as it will take place in a summer without other major football events.

There will be extensive coverage of the 31 matches on free-to-air TV, radio and online as 16 countries battle it out.

UEFA chief of women's football Nadine Kessler said: "By moving the competition to 2022, we guarantee that the biggest women's sports event in Europe receives the exclusive platform it deserves,

"Alongside the English FA, we are confident of delivering a first-class tournament that will attract global attention and media coverage, leaving a legacy to inspire many more girls, and boys, to take up the game."

The opening match, on July 6 2022, will take place at Old Trafford in Manchester, with the final on July 31 to be played at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium.

That means England's national arena will host back-to-back men's and women's UEFA Euro finals in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

In another sign of the growing status of women’s competitions, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) programme will be used throughout the finals for the first time.

UEFA's new ticketing portal is now open for fans to register for early access to tickets.

So far 11 teams have made it through, with hosts England being joined by defending champions the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

To sign up for ticket information visit www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing/

If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here and viewing our offers.