Georgia Stanway: Better planning needed so female players can attend Ballon d'Or ceremony

Ballon d'Or nominee Georgia Stanway says it is "unfortunate" that female players nominated for the award cannot attend the ceremony due to poor planning and clashes with international duty.

The 24-year-old is one of four England players nominated for football's most prestiguous individual award, joining Millie Bright, Mary Earps and Rachel Daly on the 30-strong shortlist.

But with round four of the Women's Nations League group stage taking place on Tuesday, players will miss out on attending the event at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris as they undertake matchday minus one preparations.

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has confirmed that none of her players will be attendance in the French capital, and Stanway says that although her nomination is "very cool", it's "unfortunate" that the players will not be there to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the experience.

"It's very cool," Stanway admitted about being nominated. "Obviously, it's nice to get the accolade as well as a lot of the teammates in the Lionesses. It's unfortunate that we couldn't be there.

"We spoke about it as a group and said it would be nice in the future if the ceremony wasn't on a matchday minus one day so we can all enjoy the experience.

"[It is frustrating] because it's a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You never know if you'll get selected for such an accolade like that again. It would be nice to enjoy the experience and be there.

"You want to feel like a star among the stars. We've got a game tomorrow unfortunately, but if it was planned a little better then it would be easier for a lot of female footballers to be there."

Wiegman echoed the thoughts of Stanway and also expressed her disappointment with the lack of female football categories. In addition to the main Ballon d'Or prize, the men's game also offers up the Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy and Muller Trophy, meaning there will be four winners on the night. The women's game will simply see the best player take home the Ballon d'Or Feminin prize.

"We hope that that develops too," Wiegman said. "We talk about the planning now, it would be nice for them. Everyone is working so hard and of course we have to do a job and that is what we're here for.

"So you can't attend [the ceremony] and it would be really nice if things again are organised that players have the opportunity to join too."

Stanway's England teammate, Keira Walsh, is a surprise omission from the lengthy nomination list considering her success over the past 12 months. The former Manchester City midfielder lifted the Liga F title and Champions League in her first season with Barcelona, having also reached the Women's World Cup final with England a year after winning Euro 2022.

Two-time Ballon d'Or Feminin winner Alexia Putellas was also overlooked for the award despite winning the World Cup with Spain - she missed most of the calendar year recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Putellas' international teammates, Mapi Leon and Aitana Bonmati, are expected to be at the awards ceremony in Paris, with the latter billed as the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or Feminin.

READ MORE ON THE 2023 BALLON D'OR NOMINATIONS AND PREDICTED RANKINGS