'a Familiar Voice' - Toone Joins Couch To 5k As Coach

England midfielder Ella Toone says she is "really proud" to animate group to return up moving aft joining Couch to 5K arsenic its newest personage coach.

Toone, who was portion of nan Lionesses' European Championship-winning squad successful 2022 and 2025, is nan latest motivational sound connected nan free beginner-friendly moving scheme from BBC Sport and nan government's Department of Health and Social Care.

The 26-year-old Manchester United subordinate is nan first caller coach to subordinate since 2022.

Toone said she is hoping to promote her friends to get backmost into exercise, successful peculiar 1 friend who has conscionable had a baby.

"Before nan baby, she was each complete moving and enjoyed it," Toone said. "But since having nan baby, I deliberation it's nan past point she wants to deliberation about.

"It'll beryllium bully for her to perceive a acquainted sound and personification who tin motivate her to get retired and tally a 5k.

"There will beryllium a batch of family and friends utilizing my voice. Well, I dream truthful anyway, for arsenic agelong arsenic they tin perceive to maine telling them what to do."

Toone said she was "buzzing" to usage her level to thief group commencement their workout journeys.

"I consciousness for illustration correct now I'm an inspiration to a batch of young girls, truthful it's bully to effort and thief different group commencement running," said Toone, who joins a line-up of motivational voices that see BBC presenter Jo Whiley, comedian Sarah Millican, and erstwhile athletes Steve Cram and Denise Lewis.

"For maine I do that each day, truthful they cognize that I'm not telling them to do thing I don't do."

Toone added it tin beryllium "really hard" to find motivation.

"I deliberation sometimes it's really difficult to get retired location and go, but nan emotion you get aft doing it is much important," she said.

Since nan decease of her begetter successful September past year, Toone has been unfastened erstwhile talking astir nan effect of nan nonaccomplishment connected her.

She said it was important for her to springiness backmost to nan NHS aft what her family went though pinch her father.

"I cognize what a monolithic portion nan NHS were successful dad's illness," she said.

"Everything they do for families and group who aren't well, they were monolithic and we couldn't opportunity thing much to them erstwhile we were successful that situation."

While looking guardant to motivating others, Toone besides reflected connected those who animate her and she did not person to look immoderate further than her England team-mates.

"It helps erstwhile personification is enthusiastic and motivating, you can't perceive to personification who isn't going to get you pumped up," she said erstwhile asked who her dream coach would be.

"Lucy Bronze would beryllium really motivating and really get nan champion retired of you and get you pumped up for each session. I deliberation Leah Williamson has a really bully sound for it.

"If I'm going for information I'm going for Lucy. She's personification who's very fresh and useful truthful hard. She's a bully personification to perceive to because you cognize she'd beryllium doing it too.

"You cognize she gives perfectly everything each clip she steps connected nan pitch."