Houghton itching to get going for Team GB

Football 20 Jul 21

Steph Houghton was born in Durham, started her career in Sunderland and now plies her trade for Manchester City, so it’s fair to say she is not accustomed to the humidity of a Japanese summer.

The women’s football team will be the first British competitors to take part in Tokyo 2020, with the temperatures at the Sapporo Dome expected to be around 28 degrees at kick-off for the group game against Chile on Wednesday at 4.30pm local time.

Add in the humidity in a city that has recorded its highest temperatures in two decades, and that becomes a real challenge but Houghton and the team are ready for the demanding conditions.

She said: “Whether it’s in Tokyo or Sapporo, it’s very hot. In Yokohama it was more humid than it is here. For us as players, we’ve got such a good team behind the team that we’ll prepare as well as we possibly can.

“We’ve done a lot of acclimatisation before this point and the girls have worked so hard to be in the best condition. I feel as though we have adapted quite quick and we’ve got used to the weather, you know you lose a lot of fluid so you get more dehydrated. But we have everything in place for that so we can play the game we want to play.

“We’re excited to get here and preparation has been spot on. I think everybody is just so excited for the first game to come. It’s been a long time coming with the postponement last year but ultimately the team is together and we’re ready to go and win.”

Standing in Team GB’s way in the opening group game in Japan are Chile, the South American team who are the lowest-ranked side in Group E.

Currently 37th in the world, Chile can call upon skipper and most capped player Christiane Endler, their standout goalkeeper who will join Lyon this summer.

The 29-year-old made a name for herself two years ago at the World Cup when she was named player of the match for a sensational performance between the sticks against eventual champions the USA, a feat that was all the more impressive when you consider her team were beaten 3-0.

And while Endler acknowledged the quality of the GB side, she believes that Chile will be up to the task.

She said: “The team from Great Britain is definitely a very strong team and very competitive. They are in good physical condition, we know they have reached the final stages of major tournaments so we know it will be a difficult game.

“But we have analysed and seen their games so we hope we have all the strategies we need to be able to play a good game against them.”

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