The Lionesses kick-off the eagerly-awaited tournament, which takes place on home soil, with the visit of Austria on Wednesday night.
The competition is set to be a record-breaking one for women’s football with an unprecedented 500,000 tickets sold around the globe, increased media coverage and keen interest across the country.
Four-time PFA Young Player of the Year Hemp says she is counting down the seconds until the Old Trafford opener and has called upon her teammates to use home advantage to inspire their best level of performance.
“I’m so excited,” she told mancity.com. “It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. It’s every kids’ dream to say they’ve played for England at a Euros.
“I can’t wait. I’ve got a great team around me, who are all itching to get going. We’ve spent a few weeks preparing for the tournament now so it’s only a matter of time.
“It’s massive having a home Euros, especially for my family, who can get there a lot easier.
“It’s fantastic to be able to attract so many fans in so many locations – as it’s dotted around the country, it’s more accessible to so many people.
“That helps the women’s game to grow and hopefully, it will be the start of something. It’s incredible how far the women’s game has grown already and it’s amazing to see how far it can go.”
As hosts, England have been placed in Group A alongside Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland.
Having locked horns with all three of their challengers over the past few years, they are familiar foe for the Lionesses.
Hemp, who has featured in all three warm-up games and starred in the stunning 5-1 win over the Netherlands with a goal and two assists, says her side are taking heart from their previous meetings, adding the squad are full of confidence, eager to make history.
GET YOUR MAN CITY WOMEN SEASON TICKET
“We played Austria and Northern Ireland in World Cup qualifiers so we know a lot about them,” she continued.
“We’ll make sure we’re the best prepared team going into the games but it’s important we look at ourselves and what we can do, how we can beat teams like that.
“We know we’re capable of doing it because we have already. Hopefully, we can show the world what we’re capable of.”
