A Lionesses super-fan says she spends £4,000 a year following England and Arsenal.
Zoe Bleach, 42, has even installed a £3,000 pub in her back garden, dubbed The Lionesses Den, to cheer them on from Gravesend, Kent, when she’s not travelling.
She has a collection of Lionesses memorabilia worth around £1,000 – a dream for a lady who fell in love with the beautiful game aged two.
Bleach speaks ahead of Tuesday night’s semi-final clash with Italy, as research from Amazon’s Chatterbox series shows a quarter of British women (25%) believe football is what the UK does best.
‘I would say I spend £4,000 a year supporting the Arsenal and England women’s teams – the game tickets and travelling all add up,’ she said.
‘For Euro 2022 I booked tickets for most of the games including the final. I basically took a whole month off to watch the Lionesses.
‘I went to Brighton twice, Southampton, Northern Ireland and to Wembley. I spent around £2,000 travelling and buying merchandise on that tournament alone.
‘My biggest ever football trip was in 2003, when I travelled to the USA and went on a 16-hour road trip between Mississippi and Washington DC to watch five professional women’s soccer matches played in the WUSA league.
‘I met Kelly Smith there, and I’ve never been so starstruck in all my life. I couldn’t even remember my name. I didn’t know my name, I didn’t know where I was from.
‘She came and spoke to us for about 10 minutes. It was such a surreal moment in my life. I was so excited to meet her because she was my idol. She is absolutely the best player in the world.’
In 2023, Bleach and her partner Elizabeth spent five months building The Lionesses Den to watch the Women’s World Cup, where England finished runners-up to Spain.
‘It cost us about £3,000 and we have signed shirts from Beth Mead and Kelly Smith, signed autographs from Lucy Bronze and Mary Earps and pictures of me with Leah Williamson.
‘The whole collection is probably worth around £1,000.
‘It might have been a lot to spend, but we use the pub easily once or twice a week and we love it. I don’t regret a single penny I’ve spent supporting the Lionesses.’
