Darts, Love Island and spikeball: inside hotel helping England relax

On Tuesday, Leah Williamson was asked a trademark press-conference question: how’s the mood in the camp? She responded with a smirk and sarcasm.

“What would you do if I told you we were all ready to kill each other?” the England captain said wryly.

This throwaway comment drew lots of laughs from the media at the Dolder Grand hotel, England’s spectacular Euro 2025 base on the outskirts of Zurich. However, Williamson’s quip had a serious implication. The England players are heading into the knockout stage in happy and united mood, and are so relaxed that their captain can joke about them descending into civil war.

“We’re very much enjoying each other’s company,” Williamson added. “It’s a good mood in the camp.”

Of course, staying in the Dolder Grand helps morale. The five-star hotel, located on the top of a hill overlooking Zurich, is immaculate and has nightly prices ranging from about £500 to £13,500.

Advertisement

It offers views of the Alps, a modern art collection featuring 100 pieces, and a two-Michelin-star restaurant. There are also more practical luxuries for the players, such as the 25-metre long indoor pool and spa on a 4,000m² site.

It is no surprise that the FA chose the Dolder after scouting 23 potential bases for the tournament, nor that the hotel’s previous guests over its 126-year history include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and King Charles III (in 1980 when he was a bachelor prince).

Stanway signs autographs for fans at the training ground HARRIET LANDER/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES

The facilities receive only rave reviews. Here’s Lucy Bronze, England’s most experienced player: “Every player was blown away by the set-up we have,” the 33-year-old said on The Lionesses Diary Room.

“Especially the physio room where every player has to go to every day to speak to the medics. It is just amazing, the places we have got to chill and hang out together, the little stations of healthy food and drinks. “

And this is the verdict of Michelle Agyemang, the squad’s only teenager. “It’s crazy, the place we’re staying.”

Advertisement

Yet simply throwing money at a base does not create a happy camp. The England staff have attempted to create an intimate “home away from home” for the players, with decorations including Lioness-branded food stations, a giant wallchart, and artwork depicting each player’s first club.

Stanway, left, and Williamson are interviewed for an episode of the Lionesses’ Podcast amid the luxury of their training base HARRIET LANDER/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES

“Even when we landed and we came to this hotel, I was just in awe of everything and how brilliant a job the guys have done,” Aggie Beever-Jones said.

There are plenty of social spaces and lots of activities available. Spikeball — which involves two two-person teams hitting a ball off a bouncy, circular net — provokes fierce competition, though Georgia Stanway is not quite so enamoured.

“I always hear Grace [Clinton] and Maya [Le Tissier] arguing over spikeball,” the midfielder said light-heartedly. “I’m trying to watch TV and hear them arguing.”

Khiara Keating enjoys the darts INSTAGRAM

Stanway did not disclose what she was watching, but it may well have been Love Island. Giorgio Russo, Alessia’s brother, was a contestant on this summer’s series, and the team were very invested — at least until he was kicked off the Island last Thursday.

Advertisement

“There has been Love Island watching,” Williamson said the day before England’s first match. “It has been a discussion around the table at breakfast.”

Other sources of competition include basketball, darts, tennis and even pizza-making, but the card games may be the most intense. “There are more arguments in card games than there probably are on the pitch,” Lauren Hemp, the winger, said on That Lionesses Podcast.

X (Twitter) content blocked Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Enable cookies Allow cookies once

These (relatively) friendly battles have helped the team to stay composed under immense pressure. They were one defeat away from exiting the Euros after losing their opening game to France but, despite the looming threat of humiliation, remained level-headed through their calm environment.

After England reignited their campaign by beating the Netherlands 4-0, Bronze was almost affronted by the suggestion that England were feeling the pressure going into the must-win match.

England players, from left, Clinton, Beever-Jones and Le Tissier head out for a boat trip on Lake Zurich HARRIET LANDER/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES

“It was really calm before the game,” she said after the victory last Wednesday. “Leah, Keira [Walsh], Tooney [Ella Toone], Less [Russo] and Beth [Mead] were playing Monopoly. I was building a jigsaw with Michelle and Maya all morning. We were pretty calm and knew what we had to do.”

Advertisement

Intra-squad socialising is neither enforced nor unrelenting. Players can sit with whom they please at meal times, and not staying locked in their bubble has given the squad balance. After the lingering threat of Covid-19 forced England to hunker down in 2022, and then the 2023 World Cup was held on the other side of the world in Australia, there has been plenty of time for players to see their family members who have made the relatively straightforward journey to Switzerland.

Toone scores during an emphatic group-stage victory over the Netherlands that restored England’s confidence AITOR ALCALDE/UEFA VIA GETTY IMAGES

“We’re fortunate that we’ve got our families here,” Alex Greenwood said on That Lionesses Podcast. “It’s so important that you get that time away from each other for a little bit, and then when you come back together it’s back on.”

Zurich, which is about two miles away from the Dolder Grand, provides plenty for players to explore. A boat trip, swimming in Lake Zurich and, strolls into town for coffee have all been on the agenda.

Niamh Charles steps out of the cryotherapy chamber at the England base HARRIET LANDER/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES

The facilities, activities, company and location allow Williamson to deliver dry humour. Nonetheless, she is earnestly aware of England’s off-field assets too.

“The staff have done such an incredible job,” she said. “The hotel is incredible and so are the facilities available from a performance perspective. We have everything we need.”

Advertisement

Sweden v England

Women’s Euro 2025 quarter-final

Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich, Thursday 8pm.

TV BBC1 (coverage from 7pm)

Click here to read article