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England manager Sarina Wiegman said the Lionesses will feel the support of the country back home and urged her players to play their “best game ever” when they face Spain in the World Cup final in Sydney tomorrow. The nation is set to come to a stop on Sunday morning as the Lionesses feature in England’s first World Cup final since 1966 and Wiegman said reaction to their historic success at the tournament has been a “dream”. Wiegman led England to their groundbreaking victory at the European Championships last summer and said her players are determined to create another moment that will inspire lasting change for women’s football while uniting the nation. “It’s really exciting to play the game tomorrow and we are eager to win it,” Wiegman said in her pre-match press conference at Stadium Australia. “It shows how football unites. It brings people together. "It’s incredible what happened. We felt the support, we felt the support here, but also from the other side of the world in the UK. That’s something you dream of and we hope we play our best game ever tomorrow.” Wiegman’s team have faced several challenges throughout their historic run to the World Cup final, after losing key players Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby before the tournament. Lauren James was sent off in England’s last-16 victory against Nigeria but will be available for the final after serving a two-match suspension, with Wiegman admitting the forward learned a “hard lesson” after stamping on an opponent. Wiegman said James is “ready to play again”, although the 21-year-old is likely to only start on the bench following Ella Toone’s impressive performance against Australia in the semi-finals. When asked to sum up England’s run to the World Cup final, Wiegman said her players have shown “togetherness” and” resilience”.” “The team has inspired the nation so much last year but also at the World Cup also on this stage,” Wiegman said . “Hopefully it will inspire more girls to play football, not just in England but around the world.” England captain Millie Bright said the bond between the players and their manager had grown throughout the tournament. "The longer you work together the better the connection,” Bright said. “The better you can be off the pitch, the better the conversation can be, and then we can translate that to the squad. "As much as people don’t want to face challenges, it’s part of the game, it’s part of life, and without those challenges we wouldn’t be where we are today.” Bright said every player in the team will be living out a “dream” when they walk out to play the World Cup final. “Everyone knows how big this is. It’s been players’ dreams for years. We know how big it is back home but it’s just another game. “It’s massive, but it’s for everyone. It’s an honour and a dream to come true to lead the girls out, but ultimately it’s the team.” “We have seen how hard the games have been. It’s a proud moment as a player and a woman to show the level we are at on the world’s stage. “We live in the moment. It’s a World Cup final but for us it’s another game. Our preparation remains the same. We’ve got a game plan.” Read More Women’s World Cup LIVE: England press conference updates as Australia face Sweden in third-place playoff How to watch England vs Spain: TV channel and kick-off time for Women’s World Cup final England stand on the brink of history — and a moment to change the game forever England vs Spain: Kick-off time and how to watch World Cup final on TV Women’s World Cup LIVE: England set for ‘game of our lives’ in final England stand on the brink of history — and a moment to change the game forever

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Former Ipswich striker Marcus Stewart hopes the club’s generosity in raising funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation through a new kit launch will continue to help give a voice to others with the disease. Ipswich’s new shirts, again sponsored by Ed Sheeran, are their fastest selling so far as the Tractor Boys gear up for a return to the Sky Bet Championship having won promotion from League One last season. For every home shirt sold during July, the Suffolk club will make a donation of £2 to the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation in support of Stewart’s fundraising efforts for the charity following his own diagnosis for motor neurone disease last year. Over the course of the first weekend of record sales – which saw the new home kit worn in Town’s opening pre-season friendly against Felixstowe & Walton United on Saturday – more than £11,000 was raised. The home shirt is inspired by Ipswich’s 1999-2000 campaign which ended in promotion via the Championship play-off final at Wembley, before going on to finish fifth back in the top flight the following season. Stewart scored 19 league goals – coming second behind Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and ahead of Thierry Henry in the race for the Golden Boot – which helped George Burley’s team secure qualification for the UEFA Cup. The former Town frontman, 50, has been taken aback by how well the new kit has been received and so bringing in welcome additional funds for the charity “I don’t think the club have sold that many new kits on the first day ever,” Stewart told the PA news agency. “Ipswich have been great. We haven’t approached them about getting these things to happen, it is them who have come up with the ideas. “They have been very proactive in helping out the charity in a big way and it all creates awareness as well.” Stewart’s own diagnosis came after 12 months of testing and was revealed during September last year. MND is a degenerative condition which affects the brain and nervous system. It is a life-shortening disease and there is no cure. Although it will progress, symptoms can be managed to achieve the best possible quality of life. Currently head of player development at National League South club Yeovil, another of his old teams, Stewart, supported by his wife Louise, hopes to continue to front campaigns for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation while he is able. The foundation was launched by former professional footballer Stephen Darby and armed forces veteran Chris Rimmer, who were both diagnosed with the disease. Rimmer died aged 39 in April last year. Former Leeds Rhinos rugby league player Rob Burrow is living with the condition after his diagnosis in 2019. Burrow’s former team-mate Kevin Sinfield is another who has helped improve awareness of MND and raised millions of pounds for charity through his endurance efforts. “I am lucky. At the moment, I still have got my voice, still have got my mobility,” said Stewart, who played in every tier of the English professional game. “I have a little bit of a profile, not as big as Kev and Rob, but I am there to be the voice of the people who haven’t got a profile, who haven’t got mobility and a voice because of the disease. “As long as I am well and good – I am still exercising and able to work – I am going to do my best to get out there and be a voice for the other people while I can, like Kev and a lot of people are doing for MND, the silent ones who are doing their bit in their own time.” Stewart has lost grip in his left hand since being diagnosed and has a weak arm, but continues to hold a positive outlook. “The initial shock, of course, was quite hard to take for a lot of people, but we are all trying to get on with life and just living in the moment,” said Stewart, who began his professional career at home-town club Bristol Rovers before a successful spell at Huddersfield and stints with Ipswich, Sunderland, Bristol City, Preston, Yeovil and Exeter. “The past two or three months, everything has settled down a bit and been pretty much normal now for most of the family really. We are a pretty positive group of people.” :: The Stewart family are raising funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation. For more information, visit justgiving.com/team/teamstewart254 Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rose Zhang admits flying start to professional career has exceeded expectations Yaya Toure says Harry Kane should see out his career with Tottenham Football rumours: Saudi clubs join growing interest in Thiago Alcantara

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We’ve all been there. A friend’s wedding is three days away and you don’t have anything to wear. The last thing you want to do is drag yourself around high-street shops, so it inevitably you turn to ASOS. After all, the company is known for its next day delivery and simple free returns service. Though many of us are reliant on the online fast fashion retailer for last-minute holiday purchases or big seasonal shops, a new report shows that ASOS’s pre-tax losses ballooned to almost £300m in the year to 3 September, compared with £31m the previous year, according to the results published on Wednesday (1 November). Despite its huge popularity, the once undisputed queen of online retailers now faces stiff competition from abroad, challenging economic headwinds, and a maturing clientele potentially seeking a more tailored experience. Leading some to ask, is ASOS in SOS? When ASOS was launched in 2000, the online retailer was considered revolutionary. It was like a supersize department store at your fingertips and became the first online retailer that UK customers could visit and find hundreds of dresses for £30 all in one place. But, in recent years, the company has been cutting its stock as it faces severe profit and revenue losses. In July and August, the retailer said it was hit by wet during the summer months, forcing the retailer to cut its stock by 30 per cent. Some experts now say that the holes within ASOS’s business model are becoming apparent. Rick Smith, Managing Director of business recovery firm Forbes Burton tells The Independent that ASOS’s business model of allowing large numbers of free returns makes the company susceptible to financial losses during challenging economic conditions. “The buying culture within their target demographic sees several items returned for each order placed, which can make for slim profit margins,” Smith explains. “ASOS has enjoyed a stratospheric rise since their inception, but have perhaps reached their ceiling now and need to cut their cloth accordingly, especially given the amount of economic headwinds [such as as the cost of living crisis] in play at the moment.” The buying habits of consumers have also shifted in the 23 years since ASOS launched. Smith says that sifting through hundreds of products has become a painstaking and often unenjoyable task for its customers. “Once large online retailers get to a certain size, it can become laborious for customers to scour their whole catalogue,” Smith explains. “The online fashion landscape is evolving now to a point that customers are looking for a more tailored service from websites.” With the rise of shopping on social media, too, young people are increasingly buying individual items from retailers on Instagram and TikTok or instead shopping directly from the brands that ASOS stocks, such as Pull and Bear, Stüssy and Bershka, which all have their own websites. “ASOS’s busy 20-something [target] market doesn’t necessarily have the time to sift through dozens of item pages,” adds Smith. “So curated collections and recommendations based on user input may be one of the changes they eventually look at.” ASOS, which originally stood for As Seen On Screen, initially started trading with the tagline “Buy what you see on film and TV” as it exclusively sold imitations of clothing worn by celebrities. That business model quickly expanded away from the world of replica products: ASOS now offers 850 affordable to mid-range high-street brands and ships to 196 countries. But the company is also now tackling a debt issue, with net debt including leases now at £648.5m, up from £533m the year before. Analysts predict that the online fashion site may need to raise quick cash soon – potentially through the rumoured sale of its Topshop brand, which ASOS acquired when the Arcadia Group went bust in 2021 and closed Topshop’s bricks and mortar stores. Despite the profit slump and predicted future losses, José Antonio Ramos Calamonte, ASOS’s chief executive, said in the report that the company has made “good progress” in “a very challenging environment” and would continue to invest in its brand and stock more fashionable lines of clothing. The company plans to spend £30m more on marketing and said it was going “back to fashion” with its products “geared around fashion and excitement”. As ASOS faces huge losses, it was reported this week that the Chinese-founded retailer Shein has acquired UK company Missguided, with plans to “reignite” the online retailer that was only bought out of administration by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group a year and a half ago. Despite calls for boycotts from anti-fashion campaigners, Shein is currently valued at around £53bn, having expanded globally and bought many of its rival brands. In 2022, it was the most-googled fashion brand in the world and made a reported £18.9bn in revenue, suggesting that fast fashion is not falling out of favour with consumers who want to find entire outfits on a budget. 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CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 24, 2023--

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