The England Camp Life Quiz with Georgia Stanway

Back on camp with England, Georgia Stanway reveals all about life with the Lionesses.

The midfielder answers a series of questions about her matchday routines, downtime with the squad, and her favourite moments in an England shirt.

What is an essential item you would pack in your suitcase and why?

My bag isn’t that full, to be honest. It has to be boots, it has to be trainers, it has to be my phone charger.

What about a luxury item?

I like my energy drinks. It’s just my one thing every now and again that I look forward to having and I would say that’s one thing to look forward to, and that would be my little treat when I’m on camp.

How do you spend your downtime in camp?

I like to chill. We spend a lot of time in the common area with the girls, whether it’s watching TV, just chatting. Some of them play games but I’m not a massive game player. Just chilling and catching up.

Who would you sit next to on a plane or a bus journey to a game?

On a plane, I am actually usually sat next to Chloe Kelly. It's just the way it’s been for a few camps now. And then on a bus it is always Keira [Walsh], Leah [Williamson] and Ellie Roebuck.

When it’s on the way to a game, we all like to get into the zone and we’ve usually got individual music. People are doing different things that get them into the zone for the game. And when it comes to training, that’s when the speaker will be on for everyone to listen to and everyone throwing in requests.

What kind of character or personality would you say you are within the group?

I’d say that I’m pretty social. I get on with everybody. I like to have a laugh and joke around. In our downtime, I like to not take things too seriously but then stepping onto the pitch and making sure we’re making the most of every single second that we’ve got as a team.

What’s your favourite meal to eat on camp?

My favourite meal on camp would probably have to be the matchday minus-one pasta station. You can kind of make your own pasta dish with all the stuff that you want in it. Different types of pasta, different types of sauce, so I’d definitely say that one. I go for a mix of tomato and/or carbonara sauce which makes a tomato mascarpone with chicken, bacon, peppers, spring onions, spinach, and then I like the tubed pasta that’s only a little bit cooked.

What’s your favourite thing about training?

I actually enjoy tactical sessions. I enjoy learning and getting to know new tactics and what we’re going to be doing when playing the opposition, how we can get that one up on them or how we can deal with their threats. I enjoy that and think it’s a good opportunity for learning. And I also enjoy our matchday minus-one confidence sessions, where it’s all about being free and expressing yourself and getting some confidence and scoring the goals.

Talk us through your pre-match routine.

Usually I would aim to have two meals before kick-off, one being beans on toast and one being pancakes.

What kind of music do you listen to before a game?

I actually listen to really chilled music. I enjoy slow music, calmed down, not getting too irate, not getting too pumped. Just some music that chills me out and have a little sing along to in my head.

What about post-match routine?

Usually we are just getting onto the bus and that’s where we’d have a chat and a debrief on how we felt the game was, what was tough or what we enjoyed. There’s always food on the bus - Katsu curry, some form of nachos. After the game is where I’d most want a fizzy drink or something to give me a little bit of energy.

What is your favourite thing about being on the England camp?

Being back with the girls. Obviously in Germany I’m a little bit out of the way but it’s nice to come back and catch up with everyone, see how everyone’s been doing, how their families are. Just being reunited.

How would you sum up playing for England and putting on that shirt?

It’s the biggest honour. It’s something that you dream of to do it once, and to continuously do it is a crazy feeling. Every time you walk into that dressing room, it’s an honour. You never become complacent, you never expect to put the shirt on again. Every time you walk in and see it, it fills you with massive pride. I still take pictures of my shirt being hung up now and send it to my family and say, ‘OK, it’s go time'.

What is your favourite moment representing England?

I would say definitely the major tournaments. Both EUROs were unbelievable. The first one was written in the stars and the second one, we faced every single obstacle to get to that point and we managed to still come home with the trophy. I think to do it twice in a row is a ridiculously good achievement.

What’s your favourite memory of watching England in the World Cup?

As a fan, I’d say the 2015 World Cup in Canada. That was the era. There were girls that were role models to me and then off the back of that tournament, I then joined Manchester City where a lot of the girls had come back from that tournament into training. That was a real moment for me to be like, 'wow, I am surrounded by Lionesses'.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?

Not to put too much pressure on myself. Mistakes are going to be made and that is how you learn from it. I’d say enjoy every single moment as much as possible because football and time moves so fast that you’re never able to reflect, never able to decompress. It’s always searching for that next thing. So, I’d tell myself to slow down in those moments and enjoy it as much as possible.