Darts, colouring in and 1,000 bags of Yorkshire tea: Inside the Lionesses’ World Cup den

The central coast beaches of Terrigal are a far cry from the metropolitan hustle and bustle of nearby Sydney, but they provide a fitting “home away from home” for the Lionesses as they embark on their Women’s World Cup campaign.

This quiet town, about 51km (32 miles) north of Australia’s largest city, is an environment in which the team can free themselves from the stresses of a major tournament.

It’s the first time the FA have ever allowed the media access to an England base camp and Kay Cossington, the FA’s women’s technical director, and Anja van Ginhoven, England’s women’s general manager, are excited to reveal what they’ve delivered for the squad.

A private entrance to the hotel is adorned with the Three Lions crest, the staircase that leads you towards the team’s home sits underneath a red and white balloon arch, while the stairs themselves bear phrases to drive home the motivation: “Our England, our family, bonded by pride,” reads one.

“We’re here in Australia, but what you want to create is that home away from home,” says Van Ginhoven, who previously worked with manager Sarina Wiegman with the Netherlands and followed suit after her move to England.

“When you walk in here it feels immediately like England, like Lionesses, like ‘us’.”

The sheer size of England’s camp – and the extent to which the space has been personalised to make it the perfect fit for the team – is impressive. There’s a common area where players can spend their time doing arts and crafts, grab a coffee or mix with the rest of the staff, as well as other rooms in the area of the hotel reserved solely for the Lionesses.

On the wall hangs a painting of all 23 members of the squad, made up of childhood pictures of them playing for their grassroots team. “It’s a constant reminder, asking yourself the question, ‘Why did I actually start playing football?’ Because that little girl just loves the game,” notes Cossington.

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A “relaxation room” aptly named after former midfielder Jill Scott contains a table tennis table, table football, books, video games and a TV where players have gathered to watch the rest of the tournament’s matches. Lucy Bronze has been keenly updating a wallchart.

The dining area – without a seating plan shared by both playing and non-playing staff – is outfitted with all the necessary home comforts, namely 1040 bags of Yorkshire Tea.

“We have got an amazing base camp that we’ve just arrived at,” says left-back Alex Greenwood of her experience so far.

“A lot of people are doing colouring in and jigsaws. We’ve got an unbelievable set-up with a games room. The younger ones play a bit more games than the older ones. It’s a relaxed camp. The staff make it really relaxed and the experienced players help the younger ones. There’s no concern there.

“I’m actually loving colouring in at the moment. I’ve found my inner-child Alex again! Coffees and walks have been my go-to at the minute. I’m colouring in all kinds, whatever I can get my hands on. I’m running out of spaces now.”

Like many improvements over the years, the camp is yet another sign of the game’s development and the steps being taken to ensure the team are in the best place to perform.

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Tournaments in years gone by were afforded very different treatment. “The home Euros [in 2005] was probably one I really remember vividly,” Cossington says. “We never had anything like this, we did the best we could with the resources we had at the time.

“You were printing things off yourself and putting them on doors, the banners, the pop ups, you’d carry them around with you. We probably had around 15 support staff, so half.”

The improvements are a sentiment echoed by Greenwood, who is representing her country in her third World Cup.

She said: “From what I can remember from 2015 it’s significant. Where the game is at from then to now we can see it’s massively improved. The game is growing and this tournament is proof of that.”

England have learned from the success of their base at the Lensbury during last summer’s European Championship victory, where the players had all they needed in a place they could call their home. The FA wanted to “make the tournament as small as we could”, says Van Ginhoven.

The FA have been in “constant dialogue” with the players about what facilities are best-suited, the Dutchwoman adds. Messages on the walls encourage players to “thrive in the moment” or “write the future” – messages hand-picked by the squad to create a unique environment.

Having a permanent camp for the competition comes at an additional cost on top of what teams have to pay Fifa for travelling across to different cities during the knockout stages. That the decision has been made to spend on a purpose-built facility is a statement of intent.

The Terrigal takeover is about more than the squad being able to pick up a copy of a Harry Potter book or relax by the beach, it’s a sign of how everything is being done to create the right circumstances for the Lionesses to perform.

Cossington adds: “The thinking behind a base camp such as this... I think is credit to how the game’s evolved and what’s important around performance. You see the investment from the FA has been incredible, to actually provide the girls with what’s required and necessary to give us the best chance of success.”