England women's national under-23 football team

History

Beginnings

In February 1987 the Women's Football Association (WFA) appointed Liz Deighan to run a women's national under-21 team. Deighan had been a star midfielder in the England team which reached the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football. Four years later Deighan was not re–appointed and John Bilton took over. The team folded shortly afterwards because the WFA had run out of money. Eight of England's squad at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup had come through Deighan's U-21 team, including Pauline Cope, Karen Burke and Louise Waller.

FA sanctioned team

In summer 2004, The Football Association (FA) decided to reconstitute the U-21 team in order to give women a higher level of play to better prepare them for the full national team. Senior team manager Hope Powell held a four-day camp in Shropshire and announced: "This is a major step forward for our international teams and will bridge the gap between Under-19 and Senior levels. We have been observing players in this age bracket for the last six months and with the clubs' assistance I believe we can make this a real success." Powell installed her full-time assistant with the senior team, Brent Hills, as coach of the team, which remained an U-21 selection from 2004 through 2008.

Competing as an U-23 team (2008–2018)

2008 saw the change of England's youth national women's team moved to the U-23 level. The move was made by the FA in response to age-level changes FIFA had made to its oldest women's youth competition, now named FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The age limit was raised from being a U-19 tournament to a U-20 tournament. This adjustment, coupled with a newly introduced U-23 age limit to the Nordic Cup, prompted the FA to rethink and eventually change the youth development team. The team continues to serve as a stepping-stone for players to the England women's national team. Brent Hills explained that it had become more of a challenge to break into the senior team: "When I started, if you were an extremely talented 18-year-old you may have been able to get into the senior team. I'll give you an example, Fara Williams. You would have to be the next Kelly Smith now to be able to do that."

England U23s did not have a permanent home. When England hosted a tournament in 2010, the event was held at University of Warwick where it was possible to attend and watch without a ticket. Because of the smaller demand compared to the senior women's national team, much smaller grounds could be used.

The team's last competitive tournament was the 2012 Four Nations Tournament, in which England finished third. They also competed in a variety of competitions, including the annual Nordic Cup, which was previously the top competition for this age group.

Move to U-21 system (2018–2021)

In a bid to better aid the transition between the youth pathway and senior football, the FA announced in September 2018 that they were scrapping the U23s and U20s levels in order to form an Under-21s age group, which would become the top tier of the nation's professional development phase. The move would align England's structure to that used in other European countries to allow for more age-appropriate games and better manage individual player development post-U20 World Cup for those who have genuine senior team potential. The then U20s manager Mo Marley was announced as head coach.

Return of U-23 level (2021–present)

In October 2021, the FA announced the return of an under-23 team as newly appointed senior manager Sarina Wiegman looked to increase international playing opportunities for promising players in the senior pathway, particularly those who had aged out of the under-21 squad. Mo Marley was appointed head coach and tasked with also mentoring Emma Coates and Fara Williams as coaches. The move came off the back of the cancellation of two editions of the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship and one FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, further limiting opportunities for youth international experience.

In July 2023, a new U23 European League was announced for the 2023–2024 season, from September 2023 until April 2024. The league features nine European teams; England, Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. With the difficulty of transitioning from the under-19 team to the senior team, England women's technical director, Kay Cossington, wants the team to be "really connected with the senior team".

In the summer of 2023, further coaches were added to the squad; Remi Allen, Anita Asante, and former Aston Villa manager Gemma Davies. In April 2024, the under-23 team ended the U23 European League unbeaten, while competing against eight national teams. In December 2025, Coates and her assist Davies left the under-23 setup in order to join American National Women's Soccer League club Bay FC.

Current players

The following 23 players were named to the squad for matches against Norway and the USA in the final international break of 2025.

Names in bold denote players who have been capped for the senior team.

Head coach: Vacant

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the England squad within the last 12 months.

• INJ = Withdrew due to injury
• TRN = Called up for training only

Recent schedule and results

Main article: England Women's national under-23 football team results (2020–present)

This list includes match results from the past 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2024

• Kalma
• Blindkilde Brown
• Agyemang
• Kendall
• Reidy
• Herron

2025

• Agyemang
• Sehitler
• Weidauer
• Goodwin
• Goldie
• Vignola
• Goodwin
• Vanmechelen
• Kearns
• Goodwin
• Mühlhaus
• Weidauer
• Janzen
• Isobel Goodwin
• Barry
• Dahlien
• Weber
• Sentnor

Coaching staff

Current information

Managerial History

References

Bibliography

References

1. (2005-06-29). "Nordic challenge for U21s". [[The Football Association]].
2. {{harvnb. Lopez. 1997
3. (2004-06-16). "Soccer: Heatherson looks for England place". Evening Echo.
4. (2010-07-07). "U23s begin 'rigorous programme'". [[The Football Association]].
5. "The Official Site of U.S. Soccer – U-23 WNT".
6. "England Women's U23s squad named for Belgium trip in October 2021".
7. (18 November 2020). "FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups cancelled".
8. (July 6, 2023). "England WU23s' new season schedule revealed".
9. Sanders, Emma. (November 13, 2023). "England Under-23s thriving with Wiegman support". BBC Sport.
10. Frith, Wilf. (2024-04-05). "England Women's U-23s win to end European League campaign unbeaten".
11. (2025-12-04). "Emma Coates leaves England U23 role to become head coach at NWSL’s Bay FC". [[The Guardian]].
12. (2025-12-04). "Emma Coates to leave England WU23s head coach role".
13. England, The FA. "England WU23s squad named for Norway and USA games".
14. (2025-01-20). "England WU23s to face Germany and France in 2025".
15. England, The FA. "England women's development team coaches confirmed for 2025-26".