By Michael Preston

Expectation follows hard on the heels of success. For the Great Britain women’s national team, their silver medal-winning performance at the 2022 IFAF Women’s World Championships has raised the bar when it comes to participating in subsequent tournaments.

The Lions defeated Canada 20-13 in the semifinals in Finland last year and held their own against the United States in a 42-14 loss in the gold medal game. That impressive achievement was followed by a comprehensive 40-point shutout of Sweden in the opening game of the current 2023/24 continental campaign.

For Chris Stone, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, who played football at Wittenberg University and was appointed head coach in March 2021, that means his team must now not only continue to excel, but also make progress.

“The goal for this Euros tournament is to demonstrate our performance in Finland wasn’t a fluke and show that we are an incredibly talented football team who should be considered one of the best in the world,” he explains.

“Our expectations going into the worlds was to make history and we’re incredibly proud of what we achieved, but we know for those outside of the program, they were surprised by our success.”

That second-place finish and the continued momentum from last month’s victory leads Great Britain to Germany this Sunday where an opponent in relative infancy following organizational and coaching changes, lies in wait. The Germans will be resilient at the Walder Stadion in Solingen against a team that is effective on both sides of the ball, boasting multiple weapons.

“Considering the strengths of our team, when you look at the offense it is the variety of ways we can attack a defense,” says coach Stone. “We’re blessed to have incredibly gifted lineman who are also great athletes to set the tone and we have lots of dynamic skill players so it’s really difficult for a defense to focus in on any one player.

“On the other side when having to face our defense in training camps the thing that stands out the most is their speed and tenacity. At all three levels of the defense, we’ve got athletes who can cover space in a hurry and make plays when they get to the ball.”

Great Britain head to Germany without some of the starts of their win over Sweden, including MVP of that game Stephanie Wyant, who scored two touchdowns, but the Lions are blessed with strength in depth.

When asked to pinpoint some of the stars of his roster, coach Miller said: “Offensively it’s easy to look at the likes of (RB) Ruth Matta and (WR/RB) Siobhan Walker for the amazing numbers they put up, but really it starts on the offensive line. You have players like Vanessa Mansaray and Yasmin Cazeau who I’d say are the best in the world at what they do with their combination of power and athleticism. When the offense succeeds, you’ll see them leading the way.

“On the defensive side we're incredibly excited about the return of (DL) Rachael Moody. She’s the definition of a one-woman wrecking crew and I expect her to make plays in the German backfield all afternoon.”

All this success comes despite the women’s game at the domestic level not featuring 11 on 11 football, challenging them to line up in what for some is a relatively unfamiliar formation.

“Ultimately, it's a testament to the commitment of my coaching staff and players who put in the sacrifices and extra time to overcome those hurdles,” says coach Stone. “The girls are always seeking feedback on how to improve their game and it’s a real pleasure to work on their development of the 11-a-side game.” Germany vs Great Britain will be streamed live here.

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