When Aggie Beever-Jones and Beth Mead scored against Wales on the weekend, one of their first thoughts was to sprint over to the bench and put their hands in the air and click their fingers.
The England substitutes on the sidelines rose to their feet and clicked back. And so, the clicking clique was born.
Chloe Kelly, who has come off the bench in all three games at this tournament, explained that the celebration was one for the ‘finishers’ – the substitutes who have been told by Sarina Wiegman that they will be needed later in the game.
‘We have a little group of us, a group chat “the finishers” as you call it,’ Kelly said. ‘The positive clicks on the bench before the game, you probably saw we were all clicking, like “what are they doing?!” but it was just a positive click.
‘We said, if one of us comes on and scores, let’s do that as our celebration – the one that we came up with it on the bench. It’s great.’
Ella Toone, who started against Wales on the weekend, said she didn’t initially know about the ‘inside joke’, while Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh were also left confused by their teammates’ celebration.
England’s ‘finishers’ have created their own goal celebration after discussions on the bench
The ‘clicking’ gesture is one of positivity, Chloe Kelly revealed ahead of England’s Sweden test
But the gesture was only for those in the know, with some team-mates confused by it at first
Kelly, who scored the winning goal off the bench against Germany in the Euro 2022 final, added: ‘We work really hard on the training pitch and the gym and probably sometimes it goes unnoticed but it’s just about sticking together and being at our best when called upon and training hard to get the best out of each other.
‘But also the girls that are starting the game, making sure that they’re fully prepared while also making sure we’re prepared to go on the pitch and do a great job. I think the whole team we’ve got a great group of girls, it’s just enjoying the whole experience as a group.’
Mead, who has not started since the opening group defeat against France, echoed Kelly’s sentiment, adding: ‘I think we underestimate how hard it can be for the bench sometimes and players that don’t get on the pitch as much. Before the game (against Wales) started, we were all snapping as a little bit of our motivation, a little bit of energy amongst each other.’
Kelly insisted that despite the negative connotations of a ‘clique’, that this one is not divisive.
‘We’re good people that support each other every day. I was actually thinking that earlier, that usually cliques are negative, but it’s definitely not one.
‘We support each other very well as a 23 (player squad) and it’s about what it takes to win a tournament. In football sometimes cliques are negative but (this one) is definitely positive.’
There’s been talk of plenty of other group chats being used amongst the players at this tournament besides the one for the finishers created by Manchester United defender Maya Le Tissier.
Leah Williamson revealed that the title winners of 2022 have their own group chat where former players – including the likes of Jill Scott and Ellen White – send their messages of support.
Leah Williamson also shared that there is an active WhatsApp chat between players who won the Euros in 2022
‘When players have been part of a set up, especially (the players) that aren’t necessarily here, those players are still in that group chat as well and for them to, for whatever reason, reinforce their belief in the team and want to be part of it, that speaks volumes of the group.
‘That group chat was originally created for the celebrations, so every time it pops up it’s not a bad thing. Most group chats we archive or mute at different points but not that one. We’re very tame. I wish we had more banter but that’s not going to come from me.’
She had a laugh with the reporters when she was asked how everyone was getting along in camp, replying: ‘What would you do if I told you we were all ready to kill each other?’
Before adding: ‘We’re very much enjoying each other’s company so far. It’s a good mood in the camp and there’s been some very nice moments when we’ve brought family in and amongst it as well.
‘It’s been really lovely to have moments where we’ve come together like that and it makes a big difference when we’re away from home. At the end of the day, we’re just human beings and we’re here for a job, but we are away for a long time, so yeah, it’s been lovely and everybody, like I said – so far – everybody’s in a good place with each other.’
