'Huge for the area': Sunderland's big future hope as city prepares to welcome Lionesses home

Sunderland are preparing to welcome the Lionesses home from their outstanding World Cup campaign on Friday night and Mel Reay is hoping that the showcase fixture can help build support for the women's game in the region.

England will face Scotland in the UEFA Nations League at the Stadium of Light in their first fixture since their defeat to Spain in the World Cup final this summer.

The game was confirmed as a sell out earlier this week, meaning there will be around 48,000 fans in attendance.

Woeful weather conditions had an adverse impact when the Lionesses last played at the Stadium of Light in November 2021, but it will be a bumper crowd to support Sarina Wiegman's side this time around.

Reay and her Sunderland side will be attending the game but will also be visiting the fanzones at Keel Square and the Beacon of Light to meet fans and promote the team's Championship campaign.

"It's the second time they've come to the Stadium of Light and that's really good for the region, it means we can showcase women's football in the region and hopefully to try and get more people to come and support the women's team," head coach Reay said.

"It's going to be a sell out, we'll be there in the fanzone as well before the game to promote what we're all about as a team. The players will watch it and be visible for Sunderland fans to see us as a women's team.

"The weather played a pretty terrible part the last time the Lionesses were here so it's huge for the area that they're coming back, it's really good that we're filling out the Stadium of Light to welcome them home."

The Lionesses' extraordinary success in recent years has helped significantly develop the women's game, with attendances in international football and the WSL growing significantly.

Sunderland themselves have made an excellent start to their Championship campaign, unbeaten in four fixtures after a disappointing season last time out and having already secured some impressive results against strong opposition.

Key to that has been a move to hybrid playing model which has meant that the vast majority of the squad are on professional contracts, widening the club's recruitment range and accelerating the development of homegrown players.

Sunderland's hope is that an improved product will drive interest and attendances over time, and the chance to watch the nation's best is something that Reay believes can help that process, too.

"Where we're at as a club, we're still trying to grow," she said.

"If you look at our attendances we're getting a good 500,600 in every week but we want to get that up to 1,500 consistently. We've still got a bit of work to do off the pitch, you see the big crowds in the WSL, at the Emirates etc but at our level we want to get that 1,500 on a regular basis.

"Hopefully having the Lionesses in the region will help because trying to grow that aspect of the game is still really important for us."

The Lionesses' visit will also offer a chance for Sunderland to celebrate its part in the team's story, with a host of players influential not just in the World Cup campaign but in the Euro 2022 success having come through the club's pathway.

Though Sunderland have been rebuilding from their enforced double relegation in recent years, they continue to develop players from the north east and have a number of homegrown stars in the international pathway.

Reay remains optimistic that in time, the club can grow to the level where it can host senior England internationals and says that pathway has never been stronger following the introduction of a professional game academy for this season.

"We still very much want to develop our players through the pathway that we've got," Reay said.

"The pathway we've got now is stronger than it has ever been before, because of our new professional game academy which bridges that gap between the U16s and the senior team.

"We've got Katy Watson and Grace Ede in the England U19 squad, so they're in the top 20 in the country for that age group and playing Championship football. They're not even 18 yet, so there are very few players of their age who can say that they're doing that.

"We've got Emily Cassap who was the England U16 captain in our pathway. The conveyor belt is still working away as well as ever. Will we have senior Lionesses representing us while we're at this level? No, but hopefully as we grow and hopefully reach the WSL one day which is ultimately our aspiration, then we will."

Though competition in the region is growing substantially, Reay is confident that Sunderland's legacy of development means it can continue to thrive: "It's all about the product that you can offer the players. they will ultimately choose where they want to play their football but we're really passionate about what we offer, it's not the on-pitch stuff but all the stuff off the pitch as well.

"They get everything they need in our environment and the legacy for us is there in that we know what we're doing when it comes to producing and developing young talent."

Lionesses' boss Sarina Wiegman has confirmed that Alessia Russo is not fit for selection at the Stadium of Light on Friday night, but it will otherwise be a strong side that takes to the Stadium of Light turf.