Tyneside shows support for England star outside Newcastle United’s home as major competition looms

Messages of support for England and Barcelona star Lucy Bronze are on display in Newcastle as the Lionesses prepare to get their Euro 2022 campaign underway this week.

The 30-year-old defender has become one of the most admired players around after progressing from the youth systems of Alnwick Town, Blyth Town and Sunderland to play for some of the biggest names in the game.

Bronze began her senior career with Sunderland before representing Merseyside giants Everton and Liverpool between 2010 and 2014.

After securing her first Women’s Super League titles with the Reds, a move to Manchester City brought further success as Bronze landed another WSL championship, two WSL Cup wins and two FA Cup Final winners medals.

Her club career went into overdrive with a move to French giants Lyon as Bronze became a three-time Champions League winner, as well as claiming three French titles and two French Cups.

She will begin next season in Spain after securing a move to Barcelona - but her immediate focus will be on helping England to success in this summer’s European Championship.

Bronze was named as part of a strong England squad and will be seen as an integral part of Sarina Wiegman’s squad as she looks to add to the 90 senior caps she has earned during her career.

England’s tournament gets underway on Wednesday night when they face Austria at Old Trafford in their opening group game - and a new campaign has been launched to show support for the players ahead of the big kick-off.

Billboards showing the images of England players and messages of support have been unveiled in their local towns and cities around the country.

Images of Bronze can be found outside St James Park and Eldon Gardens and contains messages describing the defender as a ‘role model’ and ‘tenacious’.

Lionesses head coach Wiegman commented: “We are so excited to compete in the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and look forward to seeing the whole country get behind the team.

“This campaign highlights the immense support we feel from fans in each of these locations and beyond and is a celebration of the impact that the players are having on girls around the country.

“This tournament presents a real opportunity to get even more girls involved in playing, coaching, refereeing and watching football.”

England will also face Norway and Northern Ireland in Group A over the next fortnight.