Leah Williamson says player strikes cannot be ‘taken off the table’ amid schedule row

Williamson believes there is still time for governing bodies to address fixture congestion SportFootballLeah Williamson says player strikes cannot be ‘taken off the table’ amid schedule rowWilliamson believes there is still time for governing bodies to address fixture congestionEdward Elliot Tuesday 24 February 2026 22:15 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverInternational Women's Day Interview: Leah Williamson warns gender equality in football at ‘dangerous point’Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreEngland Women captain Leah Williamson has said she would consider strike action to protest ongoing concerns regarding player welfare. The Arsenal defender, recently returned to the Lionesses squad following knee surgery, led her country to Euro 2025 glory last summer.Her comments come after a significant number of Sarina Wiegman’s squad faced fitness and injury struggles in the wake of last summer’s tournament in Switzerland.While Williamson believes there remains an opportunity for governing bodies to tackle fixture congestion, she affirmed she would not dismiss drastic measures should players feel their health is being unduly jeopardised.“Ultimately, we all want to play football; nobody wants any games, years, seasons to be taken away from them – tournaments especially,” she told a press conference ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland.“But across men’s and women’s football, I think the possibility for growth in the game just never seems to end. And the money that’s on the table for everybody involved, we’ll benefit from that too.“There has to be a balance and I would never rule out further action from the players because if it needed to happen for people to protect themselves, I wouldn’t blame anybody.”Asked if that could include going on strike, Williamson replied: “I’ve not had any conversations about this right now.open image in gallerySarina Wiegman’s England begin qualifying for the 2027 World Cup against Ukraine (Mike Egerton/PA)“But if a group of people doesn’t feel like they’re getting listened to then history suggests that that’s the only way they can get heard, so I’d never take it off the table.“I just don’t think that’s where we are now. I think we’re still in a phase where we can all collaborate and listen and educate.”After England retained the Euros title in July, the sidelined Williamson sat out a friendly defeat by Brazil and victories over China, Ghana and Australia.“Scheduling, I don’t think people argue against it for fun,” said the 28-year-old.“The more successful you are, the less rest you have and the higher risks of injuries. The facts are there with the players.“I just think it’s an accumulation and when we look ahead, the players, sure we’d all love to just turn up and play football, but we do use our voice and we do try and get involved in the conversations with the hierarchy so they at least have our perspective.“Whether it’s listened to is beyond my control.”Williamson returned to club action on December 13 as a substitute in Arsenal’s 3-1 Women’s Super League victory over Everton.She added: “It’s mainly around the rest periods and trying to get all governing bodies to align. It always sounds like we’re asking for a holiday, and that’s not the case.”open image in galleryEngland’s players in training on Tuesday (Mike Egerton/PA)England face Ukraine in Antalya, Turkey next Tuesday — a neutral venue selected because of the ongoing war — before hosting Iceland four days later at a sold-out City Ground in Nottingham.Speaking on the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Williamson said: “It’s incomprehensible to us and that’s a luxury we’re all very aware of.“I’m sure Ukraine would have loved to play us in their home country, we would have loved to play there too.“It’s not feasible because of war – when you actually say that out loud…“I’m looking forward to an occasion that gets to celebrate those players. I’m proud to play for my country. I can’t imagine how they feel to step out in a Ukraine shirt.”More aboutLionessesLeah WilliamsonEngland womenJoin our commenting forumJoin th