England World Cup team comes to grips with bin chickens during preparation in Queensland

Kangaroos happily meandering around on the grassy area outside their hotel rooms gave them an early encounter with Australian wildlife, while they are also sharing their resort with Australian brush turkeys, who are unafraid of humans and stroll up to the leisure areas, while England’s training sessions at the local Sunshine Coast Stadium have featured an unusual pitch invader: an Australian white ibis, locally known as a “bin chicken”.

They have been given a more traditional welcome by other locals too, with the squad being greeted by a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony, to wish good luck and ward off bad spirits, from the Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi people. How Sarina Wiegman, the manager, will be wishing that they had worked their magic before a spate of pre-tournament injuries that ruled out leading players including Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby. The tribe, who are the traditional custodians of the land, then presented the players with their official tournament squad numbers.

During last summer’s European Championship triumph, it was identified how much the England players valued free time while in camp, allowing them to switch off from the demanding training sessions.

That influenced the FA’s choice of pre-tournament base camp, in an area that was secluded enough for their preparations not to be disturbed, but not too remote so players could still leave for a coffee or go for a walk in the local area. Some players, including Alessia Russo, the striker, have enjoyed renting bicycles to explore the area.

And while the beachside Novotel is not closed off to the public, with shared areas including a pool table and a giant outdoor draughts board, England have designated sections that are only available to players and staff.

The Lionesses were given free time on Tuesday, with some visiting the Australia Zoo, which is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, the legendary wildlife conservationist. Lauren James took full advantage of the relaxation of social media rules – the players are allowed to post whatever they want, as long as they do not refer to any commercial brand that is not an England sponsor – to upload pictures of feeding a kangaroo and hugging a koala to her Instagram account.

Other members of the squad, including Wiegman, went whale watching in Mooloolaba.

The FA allocated £10,000 ($19,000) to each player to help their families with travel costs, but many have been unable to travel due to work commitments.

Wiegman has ensured the training schedule in the Sunshine Coast, which is nine hours ahead of British Summer Time, allows for free time that coincides with English-friendly windows to allow players the chance to contact loved ones to minimise homesickness.

England players and staff were pleasantly surprised by the 3,000 fans that watched their first open training session, and Lotte Wubben-Moy, the defender, has praised the welcome they received. “Everyone has been saying, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a tournament that’s so different to last year because it’s away from home’ and everything is going to be so different, but the welcome we’ve already had, not just at the hotel but here, it feels like we’re at home,” she said.

“The amount of fans we had here, obviously we know there are a lot of British expats who live here as well, and I’ve no doubt our stadiums are going to be full of English fans, similar to how they were in the Euros, so I think we’re very fortunate in that sense.”

The Sunshine Coast, which is an hour from Brisbane, the location of England’s first game, is not a traditional football area and will not host any matches at the tournament, which starts on Thursday. Rugby league is the main sport which attracts fans, although some locals do also follow the Premier League.

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The Ashes and Wimbledon are available to watch at local sports bars, where it feels as though the focus has not yet turned to the upcoming tournament. A local Uber driver based in Brisbane – which will host eight matches, including the third-place play-off game – did not know that the tournament was happening.

Travelling fans arriving at Australian airports will soon be informed, though. From billboards advertising Optus Sport television coverage to soft toys holding footballs, signs of the tournament are immediate.

– The Times

Originally published as England World Cup team comes to grips with bin chickens during preparation in Queensland