Nottingham City Council has installed a giant St George’s flag on the Council House as the country gets behind the England women’s football team in their first Euro 2022 final this weekend.
With excitement building for the match against Germany at Wembley on Sunday, the city is showing its support for the Lionesses by putting the flag – believed to be the largest in the country – on the iconic building.
The 60ft by 26ft (18m by 8m) flag covers most of the building’s frontage and has been installed by Nottingham firm, John E Wright. It sits above the city’s Pride banner to mark the LGBTQIA+ community’s annual event tomorrow (Saturday).
England take on old rivals Germany in front of close to 90,000 supporters at Wembley on Sunday, with millions more watching on from home or other venues with friends and family.
Almost five million people watched Germany seal their place in the final on Wednesday, a day after more than nine million home fans cheered on England to a famous 4-0 win over Sweden at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane.
Councillor David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “We’re so proud of the Lionesses for their superb progress through the European Championships on home soil this summer.
“Three wins from three games in the group stages, without conceding a goal, and then fighting back to beat Spain in the quarter-final before knocking out favourites Sweden in the semi-final, will live long in the memory.
“But just as importantly, they’ve created a hugely positive legacy for the tournament which will have a lasting impact on sporting participation across the country, and in Nottingham, among women and girls.
“Just as we were all so excited about the men’s team reaching the European Championship final last year, we are equally proud of the Lionesses and wanted to get the St George flag back on the Council House to show our support.
“I wish Sarina Wiegman and her team the very best of luck for Sunday. Win or lose, they have moved women’s football forward massively in the past three weeks.”