Monthly Archives: June 2025

The quiet contender of Switzerland hosts Euro 2025

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By Dr Helen Owton

With the 2025 Euro Championships coming up, this article explores this year’s tournament and who to watch out for.

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As women’s football continues its rapid global rise, in 2025 all eyes turn to an unexpected yet compelling stage: Switzerland (UEFA, 2025 ). Long considered a quiet contender in the sport due to its slow comparative progress, the Alpine nation now finds itself in a leading role as it prepares to host the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 where global TV audiences could exceed 500 million (Gardner, 2024 ).

While there were earlier attempts to recognise the women’s game in Switzerland, formal engagement with women’s football began late, with official recognition by the Swiss Football Association only in the 1970s (UEFA, 2022 ). For decades, the Swiss Women’s Super League (formally named Nationalliga A) remained semi-professional, limiting domestic opportunities for female athletes (Le Low, 2025 ). While, the country is steadily investing in its football infrastructure, player development, and opportunities for women on and off the pitch, progress is slow. 

Beyond the pitch

Crucially, the game plays a powerful role off the field. In a country where over 25 per cent of the population is made up of foreign nationals, football has become a vital tool for social integration; helping foster community, develop language skills, and build connections, especially among immigrant women (Zwahlen et al., 2018 ; Bartosik, 2018 ).

Euro 2025, then, is more than just a tournament. It’s planning to be a platform for promoting inclusion, belonging and civic engagement (UEFA, 2025 ).

To reflect this inclusive vision, matches will be held across eight cities including Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and Sion (UEFA, 2025 ).

Stade de Tourbillion, Sion

Organisers have intentionally structured the matches into regional clusters to ease travel for fans and players; encouraging national engagement and local pride while minimising regional disparities (UEFA, 2025 ). The tournament will not only increase the sport’s visibility domestically but is already driving investments in infrastructure, grassroots programs and media attention – setting the stage for a lasting legacy (UEFA, 2025 ).

Hosting Euro 2025: a national milestone

The Swiss national team qualified for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015, reaching the Round of 16, and repeated this success in 2023 (FIFA, 2023 ). They have also participated in consecutive UEFA Women’s Euros (2017 and 2022), albeit exiting in the group stages (UEFA, 2024 ). With the home crowd behind them, cultural momentum on their side, and football’s broader social impact in focus, how far can Switzerland go?

Switzerland’s chances at Euro 2025

Under the leadership of experienced coach, Pia Sundhage, Switzerland has shown glimpses of potential with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Australia  in a friendly. Switzerland enters Euro 2025 as the host and automatic qualifier, placed in Group A alongside Norway, Iceland and Finland (UEFA, 2024 ). It’s a group filled with balanced yet formidable competition, but Switzerland have their work cut out after they were relegated in the UEFA Women’s National League finishing with just 2 points (Shelat, 2025 ). Euro 2025 power rankings  rank Switzerland as thirteenth.

Teenager Sydney Schertenleib  (18 years old) remains one to watch on the Swiss team – she plays as a midfielder for Primera Federación club FC Barcelona. Too many of their experienced core of players, such as Luana Bühler  (defender for Women’s Super League club Tottenham Hotspur), are injured  might not recover in time. Norway (ranked eighth) poses the greatest threat, while Iceland (ranked twelfth) and Finland (ranked fifteenth) are the weaker teams which make for an unpredictable group stage.

‘Home advantage’

Switzerland is placed as an ‘outsider’, but several factors could tip the balance in their favour – chief among them: home advantage. Home advantage  is a phenomenon which has been a hotly debated contentious issue but appears to be very real. Research  suggests that home teams in sport competitions win over 50 per cent of games played under a balanced home and away schedule.

Playing on familiar soil  in front of home crowds across cities like Basel, Geneva and Bern could prove crucial. The emotional lift from local supporters, coupled with minimal travel demands and familiarity with the venues, offers a tangible boost . Historically, host nations  in major tournaments often outperform expectations, and Switzerland will hope to draw on that energy to fuel a deep tournament run. With the country rallying around the team and national pride at stake, Euro 2025 may well be Switzerland’s moment to exceed expectations if momentum builds and inspire the next generation of players and fans.

England and Wales

Meanwhile, England are ranked third and are in a tough group  with France, the Netherlands and Wales. Despite losing three high profile England players – Millie Bright (defender), Fran Kirby (midfielder) and Mary Earps (goalkeeper) – Sarina Wiegman is feeling ‘good’ about their chances at the Euros. For Wales, 2025 marks their first ever appearance  in a major international football tournament. This reflects years of growth and investment in the sport and is expected to inspire future generations and elevate the profile of women’s football in Wales . England and Wales will compete against each other on 13 July 2025 and all games in the UK will be aired on either BBC or ITV .

Take a look at who plays where and when .

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London marathon: why you need a plan to prevent the post-race blues

IR Stone/Shutterstock

Helen Owton, The Open University

As the sun rises over the river Thames on marathon day this year, tens of thousands of cheering spectators will fill the streets and a record-breaking 56,000 adrenaline-fuelled runners will gather at the starting line of the TCS London marathon.

At the start of the gun, the stampede of runners will surge forward bringing the streets of London alive with the rhythmic thud of trainers, the sweat of determination, and the roaring of the crowd shouting: “Come on, you can do it!”

The race isn’t just about competition; it’s a celebration of perseverance, passion and overcoming adversity. “Every marathon is up and down, very emotional” says “Britain’s bladerunner” double Paralympic gold medallist Richard Whitehead, who holds the Guinness World Record for fastest double amputee marathon in 2024.

At the finish line, exhaustion is mixed with triumph and runners share in a sense of collective achievement. But, once the race is over, it’s back home to daily tasks; the gruelling demands of the training schedule vanish, and the highs of the marathon can fade quickly.

The low after the high

While marathon runners usually experience a great sense of accomplishment and euphoria after completing a race, it can often be followed by a lingering sense of emptiness.

A 2024 study found that endurance athletes often face a mixture of emotions after a race, both physically and mentally. Their feelings seem to depend on factors like how much time they spent training and their ability to set new goals for the next phase of training.

A comedown after a major event is a common experience for many athletes. After the months of intense training, physical exertion and the emotional high of participating in such a momentous event, the mind and body can experience a crash and “post-marathon blues” can set in as the excitement, adrenaline and sense of purpose and meaning fades.

The post-marathon blues describes mild depression and feelings of emptiness. It’s characterised by increased anxiety levels, depression, burnout and challenges in adjusting back to everyday life.

Set goals, rest and recover

Marathon runners report that it can take between one to eight weeks before they feel their wellbeing return to pre-race levels. While setting goals ahead of time could help alleviate negative emotions after the marathon, attempting to achieve another goal too soon also has its risks, including injury and training plateau.

Eddie Izzard, who ran 43 marathons in 51 days in 2009 and 31 in 31 days in 2020 has been open about the physical toll of running multiple marathons. For some, though, marathon running is a way of life, as “ ultramarathon man” Dean Karnazes explains:

I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe in fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run … to savour the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.

Setting a new goal, however, doesn’t have to be another marathon or even another sports-related goal. Reflect on and enjoy the sense of achievement from running a marathon and channel this into other aspects of your life and explore other interests like a DIY project or a hobby.

A post-marathon plan is just as crucial as the pre-marathon training schedule. Proper recovery and continued maintenance of your physical and mental wellbeing are essential for long-term performance, injury prevention and overall health. While there is no one-size-fits-all recovery plan, some suggest a phased recovery, building up to a return to training after adequate recovery time.

In the end, post-marathon blues is a real challenge. Despite the euphoria of such an incredible achievement, experiencing negative emotions is inevitable and something you might not be able to avoid. But post-marathon blues doesn’t have to define the journey. It’s all part of the process. And athletes, if physically and psychologically prepared, can turn the finishing line into a new starting point.The Conversation

Helen Owton, Lecturer in Sport and Fitness, The Open University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.