Accrington Stanley Women chair stars in EE Christmas video alongside England boss Sarina Wiegman

Accrington Stanley Women chair Sami Smithson has featured in a brand-new Christmas video for EE, starring England Women’s manager Sarina Wiegman.

EE are a lead partner of the England teams, and the festive video was shot as part of a special FA-hosted celebration recognising the Lionesses’ success in 2025.

Sami was invited by The Football Association to attend the event at Wembley Stadium, which was themed around being hosted for Christmas dinner inside the national stadium. The concept saw Sarina share insight into what Christmas is like within her own family, bringing a warm and personal touch to the occasion.

The Christmas dinner was hosted by former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis, who began her career at Accrington Stanley Ladies. In a fitting full-circle moment, Rachel and Sami actually played together during the club’s early days, adding further significance to their reunion at Wembley.

Sami’s invitation followed extensive PR work she carried out in support of the Lionesses during the UEFA Women's Euros in Switzerland over the summer.

Throughout the tournament, she handed out Accrington Stanley Women shirts, with the club becoming the only grassroots side to be regularly mentioned at Lionesses headquarters, a dedicated space for England supporters to gather while in Switzerland.

A shirt was handed out to Maisie Adam, who is co-host of popular women’s football podcast Big Kick Energy. She co-hosts the podcast with fellow comedian Suzi Ruffell, who regularly wears an Accrington Stanley Women shirt during the podcasts.

Rachel Brown-Finnis also received a Stanley Women top out in Switzerland, as did Sky Sports football presenter Kyle Walker.

At the Wembley event, Sami continued to champion the club by gifting Accrington Stanley Women shirts to Sarina, as well as England players Khiara Keating, Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood.

Reflecting on the experience, Sami said: “Sarina was absolutely delighted to receive her pink Accrington Stanley shirt and was really touched by the significance of the colour and the fact that shirt sales are being donated to charity.

“It was such an honour to be invited to this event by the FA, to be surrounded by so many inspiring women, and to meet some of the England players in such a special setting. I can also confirm that Lauren Hemp agreed with me that Yorkshire puddings should always feature on a Christmas dinner.”

The Christmas video is available to watch now on EE’s official Instagram channel at https://www.instagram.com/ee/