That Lionesses Podcast - Hannah & Niamh: Game Prep, Support & Niamh’s Magic Locker | That Lionesses Podcast Connected by EE

Episode Date: July 4, 2025

Two top talents in women’s football join Harriet - Hannah Hampton and Niamh Charles! With just one day to go before the opening game against France, they reveal what final preparations look like and what pre-match rituals they'll be taking into the opening game. Plus they get competitive with a fun new game of Talk Around It which causes absolute havoc - it’s not to be missed! Follow @lionesses on Instagram, WhatsApp and X, plus @england on TikTok, Facebook and YouTube so you don’t miss a thing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

And a lot of the time, Serena's there telling me to put a shirt on so all the coaches can come in for the team talk. Please put some clothes on, we need to pack on with the day. Oh, who you thought she was on it? No. Oh, right, OK. Calm down, everyone. I heard the stopwatch go. She's like, this is my place to go.

Don't worry, I've reset it. OK, I'm not trying to cheat you out of this game. You're here to just support the country you love, the game that you love, and we hopefully will go do you proud. Hello, welcome to That Lioness' podcast, connected by EE. I'm Harriet Rose, and this is it. The final episode before it all kicks off. See what I did there?

England's opening game against France is just around the corner. The prep is done, the stage is set and the countdown is officially on. Coming up we'll get a real sense of the mood here in camp and how the squad are feeling heading into match day. Plus we'll be talking about you, the fans and what your support means to them. And joining me today are two stars of the Lionesses squad. It's Hannah Hampton and Niamh Charles. Woo! Niamh, welcome back.

Thank you. And Hannah, welcome to the madness that is that Lionesses podcast. We are so close to the first game. How would you describe the mood in camp when it gets this close? I think it's like, okay, ready now, like come on. The last few days it's been like,

when you get out here it's really nice. Now it's just like, okay, come on now. You've seen everyone fly out and it's like, okay, you wanna get this tournament started now. It's kind of like the day before Christmas that feels like, you know, like, couple of days before Christmas it feels like, oh my God, when you're a kid, and then the night before it's like, come on, the whole week

before the game must feel like the night before Christmas. Yeah. You just want to get in there and open your presents. And by that, I mean score loads of goals, save loads of goals. I always sleep weirdly ahead of something exciting. Like my dreams go all over the place. How are you guys finding that? Because obviously you're in a different country now as well on top of that. How are you finding that process, getting used to being here and sleeping ahead of something so exciting?

Yeah, I think you get used to just sleeping in different places. We keep moving around that much. I think I sleep in hotels more than I actually sleep at home. Really? Yeah. What's your go-to like green flag and red flag when you get to a hotel?

When the pillows are like good pillows. Or when you can like order them. Sometimes they're like, oh, why don't you order one? Well, that's bad and bougie. That is like. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've never done that before, even though sometimes I really should do that. Yeah. No, I've never done it,

but just having it offered. It's offered, but I never wanna, oh no, I could never. Then you think, they're gonna think I'm a writer. Yes. Idiots. I feel like it's one of those where, as long as you've got used to it, because I feel like you guys, as you say,

travel around so much, you don't have the luxury of having to get used to a sleep process. You kind of just have to be in it straight away. I think it's like, I'm good, when you get in your room, you make it your room your home very quick I've semi unpacked and I thought as I wear things and wash them then I'll unpack I think that's quite smart really like when they come back. I'll hang up

You're not really doing the work because they're gonna do it and then you hang up. Yeah Neve you've been to tournaments before and played in huge games for England. Do you still get jittery before a game? A little bit, but then I do at Chelsea as well. I think there's like a happy medium of like you want to feel a little bit nervous. Like that's when like you're alive and like you're ready to go. I think the nerves are important. Yeah, they are. How do you manage your nerves ahead of a game?

I think you like that they're there. Well, I do anyway. Yeah, think you like that they're there. Well, I do anyway. Yeah, you do like that they're there. But to be honest, as soon as you go out for a warm-up, they go because you're just like... In the head, head in the game. Yeah, but you also do what you love. Mm, that's true.

And all I think about is then when you come back from a warm-up, you're playing 90 minutes of just kicking inflatable around. Like that is literally football. But you have, that is such a good mindset because I think if you reduce the power of it, it becomes fun again and then you can enjoy it whilst also having your training, the support network, the team behind you and all of your kind of talent there as well.

I mean, Hannah, it's a huge moment for you. You are now the number one goalkeeper. This is your time. This Euros is so exciting. How a huge moment for you. You are now the number one goalkeeper. This is your time This Euros is so exciting. How does that feel for you? Yeah, to be honest It doesn't really feel different to any other tournament you train Every single day like the other tournaments you Do all the team sessions you do all the extra finishing at the end. So there isn't really a difference

It's just come game day instead of being on the sidelines cheering, you're hopefully doing the best you can on the pitch, if that's what's asked of me. And it's just goes to show that like irrelevant of whether it was the last year is where you weren't playing, you were still putting 110% in. And that mindset is amazing. You do it cause it's what gets the team to where we got to.

So you just get on with it, it's your job. I love that, I love that. I have a lot of respect for the level of training and the mental capacity it takes, like it's mad. We've spoken on previous episode about the experienced players kind of helping out the newer players. Niamh, have you seen that continue

since you've been in Zurich? It's such a beautiful thing to see from an outsider's perspective. Yeah, it's been really nice, but I think it also flips in the other way as well. I think the younger players are so refreshing, so young. It's a new experience for them, and that sort of youthful exuberance,

it's really nice to see the reverse of it. Maybe that's the wrong word. No, no, no, youthful exuberance is like it's really nice to see the reverse of it like maybe that's the wrong word no no youthful exuberance is a thing okay I've heard that before great word I just don't know what it might be wrong but no one needs to know what it means oh okay yeah would you just call that but I just you know meant it anyway no it's true it's absolutely accurate and I feel like Lucy mentioned it actually oh did she yeah she was saying how she is spurred on by like the energy yeah the younger players and the newer players. It is such a cool thing. And obviously, you know,

your opening game is against France on Saturday. How much do you talk about the opposition versus just focusing on the game itself? Like how much of it is about being like, this is who they are, this is what we need to do versus this is who we are and this is what we need to do versus This is who we are and this is what we need to do I

think there's obviously like pre-training when you speak about What to expect? Likewise other nations do that with us. Yeah, but when it comes to being on the pitch you just tend to just focus on yourself and But when it comes to being on the pitch, you just tend to just focus on yourself and what we need to do in order to go and get results out of the games. You can't really focus too much on the other people because it takes a lot of your effort rather than just focusing on us as a collective and doing what we can do best.

I think we're very good at keeping it consistent, whatever game we're playing, whether it's France in the opening of the Euros, or a friendly or anything, our process is very similar, so it sort of helps that it's not like, oh this is big and new, it's very consistent, you know what to expect so that we can tick off the boxes and we know that for every game we're equally prepared. And I feel like you've just gotta live

in your individual experience as well. Everyone has their way of approaching the game, approaching the energy of the other team and all that stuff. But like you said, you've just got to be laser focused into your own role in the game. Obviously, players have a lot of their own traditions or rituals in the final moments or before the game. Neve, am I right in thinking before the game you chew gum until halfway through the training session? I don't know why but I love this stuff. I love it. Is there a reason for that or is it just like you did it one day and then you never stop doing it? Well to be fair, it is a caffeine gum and it's like you have it a certain time and then

certain time before you meant to play so it can kick in and then I think well, I've decided that after a certain amount of time it's I've had all the caffeine from and it's a bit annoying, so now I just came out and it's a nice little way of me and some of the other girls do it and it's just a nice little tradition. I like it. It literally means nothing. No, and it's comfort. It's good fun. Tradition is a good way to describe it, I think.

Hannah, am I right in saying you like to be the last person to put your shirt on after the warmup? Oh, well, it's not whether I like to be the last person, it just ends up being because I have to get ready longer. Because we have to literally change whole kit. And a lot of the time, Serena's there telling me to put a shirt on so all the coaches can come in for the team talk.

And I just end up being the last person, I'm a bit like, I'm so sorry. Rather than actually, I like it. Oh, so it's actually just more of a situational thing. It's more I take that long to get ready. And it's Serena going, please put some clothes on. We need to pack on with the day. Basically, yeah.

You know what, I can really identify with that energy, to be honest. In your personal life, how long does it take you to get ready for dinner? Like you're going out for dinner. Depends what kind of dinner. Yeah, see, I feel like Hannah, you're a troublemaker ready for dinner like you're going out for dinner? Depends what kind of dinner. Yeah see I feel like Hanna you're a trouble maker when it comes to getting ready in general. The smile on your face makes me think an hour and a half to two hours.

Yeah I do feel sorry for my future husband because he's gonna be waiting a long time. Hey look. Some situation for me to get ready. I'm sure he'll be honoured to wait, won't you? Thank you. Yeah, don't worry. I've got you. I'm quite, I mean, I can, yeah, I get ready quite quick, to be honest. Do you?

But I'll wait to get ready because I know it doesn't take me as long, but then when I'm ready to go and someone starts at the same time as me, but obviously they take longer to get ready, I'm like, I I just sit there ready. But I get ready quite quick, I think. I like rattle through it.

Yeah, top tip, tell them to shower first. Well, yeah, this is the thing I need to, but I'm like, But they all need to tell me to shower. Although, in the mornings. Yeah, so it's not gonna be Hannah, it's not gonna be you. Yeah, it's gonna be the other one telling you.

No, but you know what, in the mornings, say I have to leave at nine o'clock to get to training, I will set my alarm for like eight to nine. I'll get in, no, no, no, I'll get, in the mornings I'm very quick so I wanna get as much sleep as I can. Oh, you're a sleeper? Oh, I'm a sleeper, yeah.

So in the mornings I'm the complete opposite to what I am like in the evenings. I get ready for that. So no, that's just about being efficient. Thank you. In your fun time, you're taking your time. Exactly. You're getting curl in your eyelashes, getting bits and bobs.

And then in the morning, it's like, let's be, how long max do I need? Honestly, I sometimes go to training and people must look at me going, you've not got yourself ready. Like I, they could generally think I've been pulled through or head backwards. And who cares?

Oh, not me. No, one thing about me. Get me a cup of before anyone speaks to me. Yes. And then I'm on a roll. Yeah, until I've had a tea, I can't really talk. Yeah, no. No, no, no.

I have half my stuff at training, so if I'm running late, I can carry on getting ready at training. I feel like you're very organized, Niamh. That's the vibe I get from you. No, I just, I know myself that I like caveat for my uselessness. So you plan to be unorgan nice. Yeah, that's quite impressive Yeah, no her locker at Chelsea is literally like draws in her locker with shelves all full of stuff

And I'm thinking I've got nothing in mine. Yeah, but also that's because I never ever clear out ever so we if you like I will have something and it gets the end of the season and Yeah, I just so basically if you ever need something. I know where to go. Yeah, I know where to go. You just go to need, be like, what you got in there? But then there's nothing in my locker because people go to my locker. So then I have to go to someone else's locker

and it's a vicious cycle. So actually we shouldn't have talked about this on the board because now everyone knows. Yeah. Well, I'm excited guys ahead of the game. Good luck, I hope your locker here in Switzerland is full of whatever you need. And Hannah, I hope your locker here and so it's in this form of whatever you need. And Hannah, I hope you get the most sleep you possibly can

with five minutes ahead of the game. Now, it's a tradition on this podcast to play a game and I've created a brand new one called Talk Around It. Right. Are you ready for this? Yeah. You'll each have a minute to pull out words out of my mystery sack and you have got to

describe the word to each other without using any of the tips that are written on the card. Me good. Good luck. Yeah. Yeah? We have to try and guess it? Yeah exactly right it's like really difficult charades. I've got the worst team out here because I'm not the best with stuff like this. Well let me give you an example to try and help. If you need to describe, for example, Zurich, it might say on the piece of paper, Basecamp Switzerland matches, and you just can't use those three words. I'm going to give you the bag.

Hannah, you can start, considering you're so confident at being good at this game. Well, I just have to pick out one. Yeah, and you've got a minute. Well, if you get one more. So if I get one, you go again? You keep going, yeah. Oh, okay.

The best part is I've got to try and keep up with the words to check you're not cheating, which is probably the bit we're gonna fail at. I'll put a few on. Oh look, she's confident. Okay, ready? I shouldn't be putting this many out, yeah. Steady.

Oh, don't put them back in either. Oh, I won't. Go. What you wear on your feet. Shoes, sleds. When you play. Football boots. Well done.

Thank you. Oh my goodness. Erm... In the match. In the match? When they blow the whistle. Kick off. Yeah!

Ay! They did it, didn't they? I can't work it out. Definitely not me. Oh, you've got that word there. That's there as well. Freezing. Ice bath.

Thank you. Neve, you cheated because you're very good at this game. Dutch. Serena. Iconic. Why was Dutch not on the list for Serena? That would be very obvious. Three games. Three games.

Three games? First group stage. Ten seconds. Oh, look at that. I've not run out. Run out. Five. Hold on, I need one more note. No, I can't hold on. That's not the game.

Time's up! Most something. You've started saying you've finished. What's the record for the... This is the first time we've played it, though. Oh. You can be the record. That's the point. Niamh, you probably will be the record for the... This is the first time we've played it, babe. Oh. You can be the record, that's the point. Neve, you probably will be the record.

The only thing someone's gonna beat you with is the fact that they didn't describe it quick enough. Well, let's see how you do now. Oh, I will be doing horrendously, I can tell you that. Put the ones back, yeah, perfect. Hand it over to Neve. Neve's level of like, good being good. Well, yeah, I was gonna say that,

but it was like, the laser focus coming off her was insane. I was trying to have a conversation with her. And she was like don't talk to me I'm winning this game. What's the difference now because this isn't... Hey! Wait. Oh it's the who? No she was on it! Oh right okay. Calm down everyone! I'm going to stop watch go!

Don't worry I was resetting it Niamh! Okay I'm not trying to cheat you out of this game. Right, can you pass me them? Because I want to see how many you got. Hold on. One, two, three, four, five, six. Well done. Niamh, are you ready?

I don't think it's Niamh that's got to be ready to be honest. Yeah, Hannah, I'm not. I'll try, I'll try. Okay. Ready, steady, go. We got given three pairs of these as a present from Kev. Chimpans. Oh my god, I'm through.

Okay, first, people we play. France. Amazing scenes here. Oh my god, the piece of paper. Okay, what is this? A shirt. Yeah, but where do we get it from? Kit room. Take off the last bit.

Kit. Yeah. Boomer. Erm, ah. Erm, Millie is this Chelsea. Captain. Yeah. Err, my mum is my number one.

Fan. And plural. Yeah, there you go. Fans! Okay, you want lots of these, you want lots of these. And plural. Yes. Yeah. There you go. Fans! Fans! Okay, you want lots of these, you want lots of these. Two words. Saved, clean sheets.

Yeah. Thank you. You might give it away on VAR. Go to VAR and you check it. Fan, penalty. Yeah. Five, four. Before.

You put me off. Before the game, where are we? Nervous. Nervous. Nervous. Tunnel. Yes! Time's up! I don't know why I have a bad time.

Wow, girl. That was well. I'm not gonna lie, to help my next teammate, the paper needs to be stressful. I can't tell you how much Niamh wants to really have a word with the producers of this show right now. I could teach you, no, it's the paper! I've had to turn it around now.

Neve, you still did really well. We got eight. Eight. See, that's how laid back I was. That was nice. So together, you got. How was your maths? 14.

Nice. Yeah. Hannah was testing with her. Go on. Well done done guys. Honestly, you would get three or less. So with Hannah's energy on that, she was like, I'm gonna be so bad.

You were amazing. Well, to be fair, Hannah, we're trying to have conversation halfway through. Yeah, sorry. And she managed to do that and still get six. Yeah, I did have to go. Yes, you did. Neve is raging at me.

Yeah. Raging at the producers. She's like, the papals are good enough. Harriet kept talking all the way through. That was a really fun game, guys, thank you. I was a bit too laid back with mine. Neve rattled through. Come back if you want.

I'm gonna apologize. If Hannah and Neve come back, should we let them play again? Yeah. We're gonna let you play again. Are you gonna run out of words if everyone's playing this game? No, you haven't met me, Mrs. Thesaurus.

Uh. How many football words do you know? Five. One is football. Right, before we go, I wanna talk about the amazing Lioness fans. Hannah, do you feel like the team's connection with the fans has grown over the recent years,

particularly after the last Euros with the win, and then obviously how well we did in the World Cup. How important is that relationship going into the tournament? Yeah, massive. I mean, you saw the game against Jamaica, how loud they were in the send off. What a game.

I know, great game. I mean, I was lucky enough to not have too much to do in the game, so I definitely heard the fans during the 90 minutes and even before the game and after the game. So it's definitely important to have them support and be here with us. And even if they're not here, just knowing that they're backing us 100%, it definitely encourages you and pushes you on. Yeah.

Niamh, the buildup from the fans has been huge even before the tournament was kicked off. How does it feel knowing so many supporters are already behind you and that, and to be completely honest, there has been a huge shift and that is down to you guys. That is down to the Lionesses, that is down to the team, that is down to the energy you put into this game. Yeah, I think it's something we're really proud of,

that it's like what we do on the pitch, but we're sort of using it as an accelerator to sort of create change. And I think when we were in Leicester the other day, we went out for coffee and just seeing the amount of young fans that came up to us or past us, and they all have their own story now

because of like related to the Auras, related to the World Cup, and then their own footballing journey. So I think that's something we're really proud of as a team. And of course, football is the most important on the pitch here, but we're definitely aware that we have the power to create that change as well alongside it.

I really see it as well. Like a lot of the DMs I get are now, oh my God, you're doing my dream job. You're out there with the girls and like you are so aspirational to so many young people, boys, girls, everybody. Like it's such an incredible moment. I'm so excited for you guys.

For the fans who've traveled all the way to Switzerland, what do you want them to know about, like how much the support, like what can you say to those people that are paying that money, coming out here, supporting you, how much it lifts you when you're there to have them physically present? I, yeah, I think it's so special.

Like when we drive in on the bus and like you see people that have yeah spent their hard-earned money to come and sort of support us and it gives us that extra bit of like okay we want to make you proud you want to make you enjoy it and yeah the support really means a lot and also at home as well those that can't come as well that thankfully social media you can connect with them in different ways as well so it makes you feel like yes you, you're wearing the shirt, but you're wearing it for a lot more people. And yeah, you have the honor of actually wearing it,

but you're representing a whole nation. And I feel like also, there's a lot of people, especially girls that I know, who've told me that they watched football for the first time at the Euros. Like that was the first time they ever watched football in general, was when the Lionesses took on the Euros and won it.

So to know that there's people tuning in that wouldn't usually be watching is such a sick thing. So make sure you're commenting, messaging and sending all of your support guys. If you're not coming down in person, we love to hear it. Finally, what's one thing you hope fans learn or feel more deeply about women's football during the tournament?

You just want the fans to be there with you. We're the ones who are obviously out on the pitch playing the 90 minutes, maybe 120, but they definitely feel it and go through all the emotions at the same time. So I don't really think there's anything for them to discover. It's more just stay with us.

You forget about the club rivalries between the fans and you're just there to support the nation and support us as players out on the pitch and fighting for the country to go and do well and get far in the tournament I think whether it's a little boy or girl who's coming to the first game or it's I don't know an elderly who's coming to a game along with their family. It's so, it's not different at all. It's the exact same. You're here to just support the country you love, the game that you love, and we hopefully will go do you proud.

You will. There is no doubt that you're going to do us proud. There is no doubt. Well, Niamh and Hannah, thank you so much. Thank you. For joining us on That Line Essence podcast, connected by EE. Wish you the best of luck for the first game. Thank you. We for joining us on That Lioness' podcast connected by EE. Wish you the best of luck for the first game. Thank you.

We are all behind you. Go get them. We will be back with a new episode on Monday to react to England's first game so make sure you hit subscribe and hit follow right now because you don't want to miss a thing. I'm off to warm up my vocal cords, ready for a rendition of Sweet Caroline. So I will be better than that. Bye next week. Thanks so much. Bye!