Lauren Hemp wants huge turnout at Hill Dickinson Stadium for Ukraine
Lauren Hemp wants hill dickinson stadium packed for England’s final World Cup qualifying group game against Ukraine, saying a big home crowd could help the Lionesses respond after Friday’s 4-0 defeat in Spain. England go into the match with 12 points from five games, level with Spain but behind on head-to-head, so the margin for error has shrunk.
Hemp Eyes Hill Dickinson Stadium
The Manchester City winger spoke at Melwood on June 8, 2026 and said England were ready to turn quickly from disappointment to the next match. “It’s always nice to have a game so soon afterwards. We didn’t play how we wanted to, we didn’t execute the gameplan like we should have.”
She framed the trip to Everton’s new stadium around the crowd as much as the fixture. “We now look forward to the game at Everton’s new stadium. I hear we’ve got a massive turnout there, which is great for us, so the best thing we can do is put on a performance for them.”
England’s Response After Spain
England beat Ukraine 6-1 in the reverse fixture in Turkey on March 3, and Hemp said the group had trained well and shifted its focus straight to Tuesday. “We’ve been training really well and our full focus is on Tuesday’s game and putting in a good, relentless performance against Ukraine. We’ve looked at their strengths and weaknesses that we want to exploit.”
She also said the squad had to absorb the Spain loss without letting it spill into the next outing. “Yes, it’s not nice being on the end of a defeat but it’s important for us not to panic because we’ve been in those situations before where we’ve lost games.”
Goodison Park’s 53,000 Marker
The setting carries extra weight because Everton’s previous home, Goodison Park, hosted Dick, Kerr Ladies of Preston against St Helens on Boxing Day 1920 in front of 53,000 spectators, a world-record crowd for a women’s club game that stood for over 98 years. Hemp said she had heard the new stadium was outstanding, adding: “It’s fantastic. I’ve heard that the stadium is unbelievable.”
England’s task is simple enough on the pitch and complicated enough in the standings. Spain and England both have 12 points from five games, but Spain’s superior head-to-head record means automatic qualification for next year’s finals in Brazil is not entirely in England’s hands, and the Ukraine game now carries the need for a result as well as a response.
For Hemp and England, the crowd is part of the assignment. She said the team wanted to repay the fans who travelled to Spain and then put on a show at Hill Dickinson Stadium, where the size of the turnout may be the loudest sign yet that the new ground is ready for a major England night.
