The BBC has today shared the details of their upcoming UEFA Women’s European Championships 2022 coverage. This will be the first major women’s football tournament England has hosted since 2005. They will be broadcasting all 31 games live from the competition, and deliver 24/7 coverage across television, radio and digital this summer.
The tournament kicks off on BBC One with the Lionesses taking on Austria in front of a sold out Old Trafford on Wednesday, July 6.
The following day Northern Ireland, who are featuring in their first-ever major tournament. They have the daunting prospect of beginning their campaign against Ada Hegerberg’s Norway.
Audiences can follow both nations’ progression in the group stages, plus the other 14 nations, including holders the Netherlands and top-ranking teams Sweden, France, Germany and Spain, across the BBC this July.
Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, Reshmin Chowdhury, Eilidh Barbour and Kelly Somers will lead live coverage across BBC television and BBC iPlayer.
Expert insight and analysis will come from an international line-up that includes former England greats Fara Williams, Ian Wright, Alex Scott, Kelly Smith, Anita Asante, Izzy Christensen, Rachel Brown-Finnis and Sue Smith, Northern Ireland and Glentoran forward Caragh Hamilton, former Northern Ireland captain Gail Redmond, former French defender Laura Georges, Arsenal Women’s Head Coach Jonas Eidevall, Spain and Manchester City midfielder Vicky Losada, Anouk Hoogendjik, a Dutch international with over 100 caps for her country, and former Glasgow City and Birmingham City Women coach, Scott Booth.
Leading the commentary across all platforms are Robyn Cowen and Vicki Sparks. Other members of the team who will be joining them are Jonathan Pearce, Pien Meulensteen and Mark Scott.
Jo Currie (England camp reporter) and Kelly Somers (tournament reporter) will deliver audiences all of the updates and interviews from the Lionesses camp as they happen. Thomas Kane (Northern Ireland camp reporter) and Nicola McCarthy (tournament reporter) will follow Northern Ireland’s movements throughout the tournament.
BBC Sport Northern Ireland will be bringing audiences all the latest news and reaction from the Northern Ireland camp throughout the Euros. Former international Nicola McCarthy will be fronting the coverage for BBC Northern Ireland and will be speaking to the manager, players and fans as the green and white army descend on Southampton.
Thomas Kane will be part of BBC Network’s match-day team and will tell the stories of the players who have brought the Northern Ireland women’s side to their first-ever major tournament.
BBC Radio Ulster’s programming will come live from the city in the build-up to Northern Ireland’s first game. As well as all the build-up across TV and radio there will also be extensive coverage across the BBC Sport Northern Ireland website with our team of online reporters on the ground in Southampton.
As part of the coverage there will be a must watch documentary, ‘Alex Scott: The Future of Women’s Football.’ Former England international Alex Scott looks at the explosion in popularity of women’s football and asks what the future holds for the game she loves.
Women’s football is the fastest growing female sport in the world. With wages on the rise and multi-million-pound broadcasting deals being agreed, this summer’s European Championships in England are set to be a watershed moment for the game.
Travelling to Barcelona, Alex witnesses a seminal moment in the sport’s history as a world-record 91,000 people pack the Nou Camp for the women’s Champions League match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Keen to know if that growth is sustainable, Alex seeks the views of some of the sport’s biggest names such as Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, England Lionesses captain Leah Williamson, Chelsea defender Jess Carter and England head coaches Sarina Wiegman and Gareth Southgate.
Alex hears how Reading’s WSL player, Emma Mitchell, is juggling being a new mum and a top flight footballer, with maternity rights only recently being introduced for players. Meeting other Women’s Super League players, Alex learns about the challenges they still face, exploring the lack of diversity in the women’s game and the ongoing issues with social media abuse.
This is a pivotal time for women’s football and in order to find out if the game she loves is in safe hands, Alex flies to Switzerland to speak to UEFA and travels around the UK, meeting experts across the industry, including agents, investors, international stars and former players, to hear how far the game has come – and look at its incredible potential for the future.
There will also be a Question of Sport Women’s Euros Special is scheduled to air on Friday, July 8 at 8.00pm on BBC One. Joining Paddy McGuinness, Ugo Monye and Sam Queck, are four women from the world of football. The sports quiz will be packed with entertaining questions and classic Question of Sport rounds.
While I plan to be at all the games being played on the south coast, I am excited to be able to watch every other match, well as many as possible, with the same high-quality analysis that I have become accustomed to from the men’s game.
If you still haven’t got tickets for any matches yet then please be sure to check out the UEFA website as there are still a limited amount available.
