The Harrod Sport Women’s and Girls’ Cup was hosted at The FDC, Bowthorpe on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 June.

The weekend was filled with action, featuring seven different age categories, as teams battled it out to become triumphant in the small-sided tournament which returned for the first time since 2019.

Hundreds of players took to The FDC, many featuring regularly within the Norfolk Women's and Girls' League, along with participants traveling from further afield including Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and London. All enjoyed taking part in what was a fantastic showcase of women’s and girls’ football.

In total, 72 teams took part in the competition across all categories, marking tremendous growth of over double the number of teams compared to the previous event two years ago.

After two full days of brilliant football, seven teams were crowned victors of this year's event in their respective categories.

Saturday’s action saw North Walsham Town FC U10's, FC Kennett Foxes U11's, and Martham FC U15's take home trophies. While on Sunday, it was Thorpe St. Andrew U12's, Blofield United U14's, North Walsham Town U16's and King's Lynn Town Ladies winning their finals.

Commiserations to the runners up in each category as incredible football was played by all throughout the weekend with some nail biting final matches.

 A full album of the weekend can be found here. 

The weekend also presented the perfect opportunity to launch Norfolk FA's new Youth Safeguarding Survey. The age appropriate, digital questionnaire has been developed as part of this season's Youth Communication Strategy, in order to better listen to Norfolk's youth footballers.

The survey data will enhance Norfolk FA's understanding of youth participants, their perspectives of safe guarding and their experiences in the game. With good feedback from the weekend, the survey will soon be rolled out to the wider club database at the start of the new season.

To find out more about safeguarding:

Click Here

The event would not have been possible without the support of Norfolk FA's Tier 1 partner Harrod Sport. Their continued support towards female football in Norfolk is hugely impactful and Norfolk FA would like to place on record thanks to the global equipment supplier for their continued investment towards Norfolk Football.

Additionally, all at Norfolk FA would like to extend gratitude to everyone that made the weekend so special. Every player, coach, and spectator played a part in the success of the tournament.

Harry Diggens, Football Development Officer (Female Pathway) commented: 

"It was an incredibly successful weekend celebrating the female football pathway within Norfolk, and it was great to see a full age range of participants within the Cup. Having the opportunity for younger girls to be inspired by the older groups in attendance will further the growth of the game.

As well as this, with the UEFA Women’s Euro just around the corner it was great to start building the excitement for this year’s competition! Women and girls across the country will be inspired to join in within various aspects of the game following the Euros. Thus, it is important to celebrate and build upon the successes of the female game within our own region and encourage those who want to get involved to do so through events like the Harrod Sport Women’s and Girls’ Cup.

The female game is continuing to grow rapidly, and I would like to thank our dedicated volunteer workforce who are making opportunities happen in their local communities to facilitate this and encourage more women and girls to play!”

The 2022 Harrod Sport Women's & Girls' Cup showcased the female game in Norfolk at a pivotal time, with the UEFA Women’s European Championship fast approaching.

Feeling inspired? Get in touch with Football Development Officer (Female Pathway & Coaching), Harry Diggens, at Harry.Diggens@NorfolkFA.com to find out how you can become more involved within the game.