family attending the Women’s Euro final at Wembley hope their personalized England flag makes another TV appearance.
Kerry Laville, 42, trainee teacher, attended the England v Sweden semifinal match with her two daughters – Taylor, 12 and Laurennine – her husband Damian, 45, and son Callum, six, when something unexpected happened.
She was “excited” to see a white and red flag of England with the words ‘Battyeford Belles’, referring to the club where her daughters play, made a live TV appearance on the BBC.
“The flag was a nod to the team and everyone was so excited to see it and sent screenshots they had taken from the television. It was almost like taking the team with us,” Ms Laville, who lives in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, told PA news agency.
The girls have played for about 18 months for the Battyeford Sporting Club’s female soccer team, which is called “the Belles” and is located near Huddersfield.
The flag was bought for the quarter-finals and is set to become a seasoned traveler as he can make an appearance in August during the Lavilles’ family vacation to Dubai.
Ms. Laville described the atmosphere of the game as “incredible”.
“It was lovely to see the excitement on Lauren’s face when England scored a goal. Her eyes were twinkling and they say eyes never lie when you smile,” she said.
american football has played a key role in the household, with Mr and Mrs Laville being avid spectators of football games before and after their children were born, which could be why their daughters took up the sport as a “duck in water”.
“Lauren will join Leeds United in September, with their center for emerging talent,” she said.
Ms Laville said she hopes the Women’s Euros will “encourage more girls to realize there is a local girls’ team”.
She added: “Unfortunately, not every area has a girls team, which may be because there aren’t enough girls willing to play, so hopefully this will grow it at the grassroots level.”
The family will attend the final at Wembley on Sunday with their flag and possibly less face paint than they wore to the semi-final.
“I told my husband that he can’t have his face completely painted with the English flag like Tuesday because the paint went all over the place,” she said.
“His shirt is actually in the washing machine right now. I hope the streaks of red paint will come out.”
Lauren and Taylor also plan to paint the English flag on their nails, and the whole family hopes to connect with more Battyeford Belles and Instagram contacts to “enjoy” the day.