Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes said it is time for stadiums hosting top-level women's football to have undersoil heating after her side's game with Liverpool was suspended after just six minutes on Sunday.

Despite pitch inspections at Kingsmeadow earlier in the day that deemed the surface playable, the referee abandoned the Women's Super League clash when it became apparent the pitch was too frozen.

While it was broadly agreed to be the correct decision as players had been slipping on the surface, questions were asked as to why the game was allowed to go ahead in the first place and why stadiums that host WSL games are not all equipped with pitch heating facilities.

"You could see from the opening minutes that it was like an ice rink down the sides," Hayes told BBC Sport after the game was stopped. "[Liverpool manager] Matt Beard was upset that it even got to that point and he's right.

"We have to say to ourselves that it's time for undersoil heating. We've got to take our game seriously. Yes, we can have our blowers and pitch tents, but it's not enough.

"The game should never have started. Everyone wanted to get the game on, but when you have got emotions of teams wanting or not wanting to play, that's when you need a decision from above. The FA weren't here, they need to be making the decision.

"We've made progress with investment into the quality of grasses and surfaces across the league. No game at the top level of the women's game should be cancelled. We need undersoil heating, we don't live in Barbados."

Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema took to Twitter to lament the decision to postpone that game as well as Tottenham's clash with Leicester City due to cold weather, posting: "Players safety should always come first. Luckily no one got injured today.

"Only way to fix this is to demand undersoil heating or playing our games in men's stadiums. FA and clubs, please do better."

The Dutch star was quote-tweeted by Liverpool's Katie Stengel, who wrote: "I heard Stamford Bridge was wide open today."

Chelsea's Fran Kirby also gave her thoughts on Twitter, adding: "Apologies to both sets of fans who travelled today. Players safety should always be the number one priority. Luckily no one was injured today and the right decision was taken eventually. Women's football deserves better and we won't stop fighting to make that happen"

Fran Kirby says England will "lean on" the experience of head coach Sarina Wiegman in their Women's Euros semi-final showdown with Sweden.

Wiegman's side are seeking a third appearance in the final of this competition when they clash with the 1984 champions at Bramall Lane on Tuesday - and first since 2009.

Following their dramatic quarter-final victory over Spain, the Lionesses are now unbeaten in 18 matches, while Sweden have not lost since a 2-1 defeat by Denmark in March 2020.

The tournament hosts will also be aiming to avoid a fourth successive semi-final defeat in major competitions, having fallen at this stage of the 2017 European Championship as well as the World Cup in 2015 and 2019.

Meanwhile, Wiegman is looking to lift this trophy for the second time in as many editions, after guiding her native Netherlands to glory five years ago.

And Kirby, who has played in every match of England's run to the last four, believes the 52-year-old's previous experience of the big occasions will be hugely beneficial in the Lionesses' quest to avert further semi-final heartache.

"She's been there and done it; she's got to finals, she's won major finals," the forward said. "The best person to get us through is her.

"I think she'll come with a lot of experience and a lot of advice; she already has done leading into this tournament.

"For her, it's a case of doing what's normal because she's been to a few now. I'm sure we'll lean on her a little bit in order to get through it.

"First and foremost, she's a great coach; the way that she sees football, the way that she analyses other teams. 

"But I think her management of players sticks out for me and the way that she's made every person feel valued in this team - whether you're a starter, whether you're coming in as a sub, whether you don't get any minutes.

"I think everyone knows what their role is in the team and what they're there to do. They've taken that in their stride.

"I think that's a compliment to her in how people have managed themselves and made sure that when you're called upon, you're ready to go. It's not easy to do things like that when you've been sat on the bench.

"To make people still feel valued and feel hungry when they come on the pitch that they can change it, and they can help is a really special quality, and I think she has that."

Fran Kirby has praised England manager Sarina Wiegman for her honest and "special" communication while the Chelsea star's availability for Euro 2022 was in doubt.

Kirby missed three months of action towards the end of the season due to an illness that was causing extreme fatigue.

But having returned to action and been named in England's squad for the Euros on home soil, the 28-year-old opened up on her conversations with Wiegman while she had stepped away from the game.

"Obviously, it's going to be in the back of my mind. But for me, right now, I want to make sure that I'm feeling confident going into the Euros," said Kirby.

"Leading into it I had loads of conversations with Sarina on the phone in terms of how I was feeling and how I was doing.

"She always made me feel confident in terms of if you get yourself right, then I want you to be part of the squad. 

"And for me, as a player to hear that when you're not playing, it's really nice and it's really special to hear. 

"When I speak about her honesty, I said to her, I need you to be honest, if you don't think I'm ready, then you tell me that. 

"I wouldn't want to be part of the squad if you didn't feel that I was ready to participate or to give something to the team. 

"When she said that I was in the squad, it just reaffirmed the confidence that she has in me to make a difference.

"She's been great. She's really brought this togetherness in the squad, she makes everyone feel like they're respected and that their voices are heard. 

"She's just brought this honest nature, in terms of dealing with difficult conversations when they have to be had. 

"And she also makes people feel good, she makes you feel confident in your ability, she makes you feel like you're valued in the team and that's important when you're going into a tournament." 

Kirby had previously been ruled out for much of the 2019-20 season with pericarditis, a condition affecting the fluid sac around the heart.

England beat Belgium 3-0 in their first warm-up game for the Euros last week, with Kirby coming off the bench in the second half. 

"I'm feeling really good, feeling healthy and I've been able to participate in all the training sessions and be a part of them," added Kirby.

"For me, now, I'm not really thinking about much what has happened previously, because I just want to make sure that I'm focusing on the here and now and focusing on my performance in training. 

"I have to show that I'm ready to go and that I'm ready to play and I've been able to do that in the last few weeks."

Friendlies against the Netherlands and Switzerland are up next before England begin their Euro 2022 campaign against Austria on July 6.