Sarina Wiegman’s outstanding contribution to women’s football – including leading England to victory in the 2022 UEFA European Women's Championships – has been formally recognised with an honorary degree from Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é.
Wiegman, the current head coach of the England Women’s senior team, accepted the accolade during the University’s winter graduation ceremony held at its East Midland’s campus on Friday 13 December 2024.
Born in the Netherlands, her footballing career has been defined by a series of remarkable achievements. Her leadership values and vision for the game have proved instrumental in transforming women’s football on a global scale.
As a player, Wiegman represented her home country 104 times before transitioning to coaching, where she led the Dutch women’s team to victory in the 2017 UEFA Women’s European Championship.
Since taking charge of England 2021, she has guided the Lionesses to historic success by winning the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 title and reaching the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in 2023, inspiring record numbers of girls to engage with football nationwide.
Speaking at the ceremony, Wiegman said: “It feels an absolute honour to be awarded an honorary degree.
“I feel very privileged to be here. It shows what the Lionesses have achieved over the last few years and how many people have been involved in this – you can never do these things alone.
“I'm so proud to play a part of that journey here in England. We still have a long way to go, but I think we're going in the right direction.”
Professor Jo Maher, Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport, added: “Football has the power to unite, inspire, and challenge societal norms. Sarina’s achievements in the sport are not just victories on the field but have had major positive impacts off the pitch too.
“Sporting excellence is at the heart of Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s vision so we’re incredibly proud to award Sarina with an honorary degree.”
Sarina Wiegman was made an Honorary Doctor of the University at Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s graduation ceremony on Friday 13 December 2024.
Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 24/210
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2024 QS World University Rankings – the eighth year running.
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é is ranked 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2025, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2025 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é was also named University of the Year for Sport in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 - the fourth time it has been awarded the prestigious title.
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.