Artist says England must win World Cup or his beach crest was a waste

A football fan and artist from Suffolk says England must win the World Cup or he will have wasted his time creating the team's Three Lions crest on a beach using stones. Toby Clark, from Lowestoft, completed the badge after weeks of planning and eight and a half hours of work, finishing in time for the opening day of the tournament on Thursday, June 20.

The crest, measuring 6 meters by 8 meters, was later damaged when a vehicle drove over it, requiring an additional two hours of restoration. Clark joked that his efforts would be for nothing if England's players fail to bring home the 18-carat gold trophy.

Artist's dedication to England crests

Clark, who has created similar crests for previous tournaments, said: 'Whenever I get the opportunity at World Cups or Euros, I always do an England crest. They are going to win, obviously there's no other option – I want us to bring it home, otherwise I've wasted my time.' He added that if England wins, he plans to create a portrait of the entire team on the beach.

Clark previously produced a chalk version of the crest for England's semi-final defeat against Croatia at the 2018 World Cup. For his latest creation, he used a template, a grid, and string, and 'stamped out the sand by foot.'

Public reaction and future of the crest

Clark noted that the response has been overwhelmingly positive. 'Everyone seems to love it, even people who are not big football fans can still appreciate the time it took and the effort and the passion,' he said. However, he has no plans for further restoration, as the tide is expected to wash the crest away.

Other fans show support

Clark is not alone in his patriotic display. John Goode, 64, and his daughter Rachel, 28, decorated their home on Norwich Road in Ipswich with 60 meters of bunting and eight large England flags. John said the reaction has been positive, with many people stopping to take photographs. 'I think it is nice to support the team and show your patriotism, and I'd like to see more flags even from other countries — Portugal, Scotland, teams like that,' he said.

While John is not convinced England will win the World Cup, Rachel emphasized that supporting the team is about more than victory. 'It's just the fact that it brings the country together for a little while and people put everything aside and think 'Come on England',' she said. She expressed optimism for the opening game against Croatia, adding, 'We will see how far we can get, but if we get a nice, easy goal early on, I think we'll be OK and we'll dominate [tonight's] game.'

England's tournament kicked off at 21:00 BST against Croatia in Dallas.