27 February 2020

England women's football team to fly in premium economy for SheBelieves Cup as men get private jet

England women's football team will fly to the SheBelieves Cup in premium economy, rather than in a private jet like the men's senior and U21 squads.

The Lionesses were set to fly in business class to the USA, but due to the tournament schedule being released late there were not enough seats left. 

In a statement from the women's team, they said: "As soon as the match schedule for the SheBelieves Cup was confirmed by US Soccer The FA investigated business class flights for the England Women's squad and staff.

"As Orlando is a hugely popular tourist destination, by the time the tournament fixtures were confirmed there was no longer sufficient availability of business class seats on a direct flight.

"The business class options available would have necessitated either an indirect flight via a US hub airport, or splitting the squad and staff onto two separate flights. Neither option was considered optimal from a performance perspective."

England women are set to begin the defence of their title against hosts USA in their first fixture on March 5 in Orlando.

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