Lioness Ella Toone has declared she is “feeling better and stronger than ever” upon her return to the England squad, a call-up she discovered just moments before receiving an MBE from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle.
The Manchester United midfielder is back in the England setup for the first time since November, having recovered from a stress fracture to her hip that disrupted the latter half of her season. Speaking to the Press Association immediately after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to football on Tuesday, the 26-year-old said: “We were sitting in the waiting room before going in and we quickly checked [and found out]. Prince William asked if I was back fit and whether I’m on the next camp, so it was nice to be able to tell him there. I am doing well and I’ve come back feeling better and stronger than ever.”
Toone, a double women’s European Championship winner, added: “It is so exciting. There is so much talent in the England squad now, with so many experienced players, players who’ve been to tournaments before, and loads of young, exciting talent coming through as well. I am obviously really looking forward to it, and hopefully I can go out there and represent England again.”
The Lionesses have won all four of their qualifiers so far and travel to Majorca for a crucial clash with the current world champions on June 5, knowing a draw would secure their place at the tournament in Brazil. Toone spoke about the importance of the squad acting as role models, citing it as a reason she established the ET7 Academy, a football coaching academy for girls aged eight to 19. She said: “I set up ET7 Academy to give girls a chance and an opportunity to play football, to make friends, to develop as people and players. I hope that one day we can have another Ella Toone, who maybe comes from Tyldesley, where I grew up. As Lionesses, we are role models, we have got to use our platforms as best we can to really grow the women’s game and to give all young girls and boys opportunities in football.”
Celebrating in Windsor with her fiance Joe Bunney, Toone revealed their wedding is planned for this summer in Cheshire. Also honoured at the ceremony was England rugby flanker Sadia Kabeya, who received an MBE for services to rugby union. The 24-year-old was part of the England squad that clinched a fifth successive Grand Slam with a victory over France in Bordeaux on Sunday, but had to cut celebrations short to study for an exam. Kabeya, who is studying a sports science degree at Loughborough University, revised between training sessions throughout the Six Nations. She said: “To celebrate the win in France, we had a family and friends function with food, drinks and dancing, but I actually had an exam yesterday in Loughborough so I couldn’t stay out very late, which is definitely not like me, but I had to put my studies first. It’s definitely hard to balance it all, but a lot of the girls have done it before me, so it’s nice to have that guidance and help from them as well. But the rest of the girls had a great time celebrating. It was nice to be together as a team with friends and family and the coaches.” When asked how the exam went, she said: “I think it went as well as it could have, knowing the circumstances. I was revising between training sessions, so fingers crossed.” Kabeya also advocated for rugby to be an option at more schools across the country, stating: “I always say that rugby is a sport for all, everyone can play if they want to; whether you’re fast, whether you’re strong, whether you want to just make friends and be social, there’s always a place for you in rugby. It’s so important that everyone has the choice to pick it up, and that starts in schools. It is the easiest place to do it. Kids go to school, do PE, pick up the ball, and start from there. That’s how I came into the sport, and I wouldn’t have known that it was there unless my school had it there for me. I think in the future, maybe once my career has come down a bit more, I would be keen to set up a foundation, especially in south London in schools where there might not be grass or pitches for you to be able to go pick up a ball, and to spread rugby around in those areas.”
