Bluefin Sports Insurance Women's Cup

Northumberland FA

Bluefin Sport Insurance Women's Cup Wallsend BC Womens First v Newcastle United Women

Friday 1st April 2022 Whitley Park

Welcome from our Chairman Steve Ord As Chairman of Northumberland FA, it's my pleasure to welcome you today to Whitley Park for what I hope will be a great Cup Final.

After all the difficulties of the past few years, I am pleased that our grassroots football community has been able to get back onto the pitch over the past season and I thank you all for your efforts during Covid to keep everyone safe and well.

I know all of our clubs take a great pride in reaching a County Cup Final and I'd like to congratulate both teams today in getting this far in the competition.

I'd also like to personally thank the match officials - officiating a County Cup is recognition for all their hard work and dedication across the season.

We hope today's final here at Whitley Park will be a memorable occasion for everyone and we wish our finalists the very best of luck.

@NorthumFA

@NorthumberlandFA

Safeguarding information Safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults is at the heart of everything we do at Northumberland FA. We are firmly committed to ensuring grassroots football is safe and enjoyable for everyone, and we prioritise the well being of these groups above everything else.

As well as addressing any concerns in the game, we provide training and support to our clubs and leagues to ensure their approach meets - and exceeds - best practice.

We have recently launched a partnership with mental health provider Kooth which will give 11-25 year olds involved in football across the region access to confidential and non-judgemental professional help for mental health concerns.

They will have access to Kooth's (www.kooth.com) digital mental health platform providing free and confidential 24 hours a day, seven days a week support. There is no referral needed from a health professional, no waiting lists and no criteria to meet to qualify for support. Once registered, the service can be accessed using any internet connected device such as a laptop, smartphone or tablet.

If you have any safeguarding concerns today, please report them to the safeguarding officer on duty (details posted around the ground) or any member of Northumberland FA staff.

How you can support our 100% Positive campaign Let’s keep grassroots football 100% positive – that’s the message of our new campaign which asks parents, spectators, player and coaches to keep their comments encouraging and upbeat.

We’re appealing to our whole grassroots community to display positive, supportive behaviour – both on the pitch and on the sidelines.

The campaign was launched after some of our youngest referees complained about the comments and negativity they were facing at fixtures. We believe that football should be a fun, inclusive and enjoyable activity for everyone.

Every month, we reward the best examples of positive behaviour. Visit our website to find out how you can nominate a coach, team, player or match official, and how you can help us keep football 100% positive.

Today's Match Officials Referee: Dora Jakab Assistants: Michael Floyd and Darren McCall Fourth Official: Evan Culling

Route to the Final Wallsend B.C Womens First 1st Round Wallsend B.C Womens fist 2 - 0 Wallsend B.C Womens Reserves 2nd Round BYE BYE Quarter Final Alnwick Town Ladies FC Development 0 - 6 Wallsend B.C Womens First Semi Final Alnwick Town Ladies first 2 - 4 Wallsend B.C Womens First

FINAL Wallsend B.C Women First V Newcastle United Women First

Semi Final West Allotment Celtic Ladies 0 - 5 Newcastle United Women First Quarter Final Newcastle United Women First 7 - 0 Blyth Town Ladies Ladies 2nd Round BYE BYE 1st Round Cramlington Town Juniors Ladies 0 - 8 Newcastle United Women First

Newcastle United Women First

Wallsend BC Women's First Player

Position

Gabrielle Watson Jenny Blench Chloe Sharpe Chloe Rodda Libby Corney Holly Orr Mia Darling Leonie Kennedy Ellie Mark Lucy Watson Courtney Dack Nicole Dack Chloe Mark Hannah Travis Molly Turnbull Alex Bailey Chloe Wilkinson Eleanor Regan Siobhan Jones Jessica Ellison

Goalkeeper Goalkeeper Defender Defender Defender Defender Defender Defender Defender Defender Midfielder Midfielder Midfielder Midfielder Midfielder Midfielder Forward Forward Forward Forward

Strip: Yellow shirts; green shorts and socks.

Coaches: Abi Giles-Haigh, Scott Curtis, Phil Hubbard Physio: Sophie Killip

Wallsend BC Women's First Wallsend Women herald from the Wallsend Boys Club, whose tradition and background are linked so much to their NFA final opposition, Newcastle United.

With many players such as Alan Shearer experiencing their footballing education at Wallsend before pulling on the Black and White of Newcastle, there is a long history of football in Wallsend. On the Women’s and Girls’ side, Wallsend are proud to grow a programme that sees young female players go from Wildcats to Women’s, mirroring the boys section. This season some of those youngsters have gone on to represent the club within the first team as well as coaching the next generation, showing the legacy of the programme and the impact in the community.

The road to the final has been a mix of emotions, from playing their very own reserve team, through to beating Alnwick Women from the league above. These highs have also taken their physical toll, with injuries sustained in the cup games, it’s been a real squad effort to make the final.

Over consecutive seasons of being in the NFA women’s final, the effort and spirit of the team has shone through.

With desire and determination, Wallsend are committed to push for the win, and do the Wallsend community proud!

Newcastle United Women Player

Position

1 Grace Donnelly 2 Brooke Cochrane - C 3 Jane Harland 4 Beth Guy 5 Olivia Watt 6 Ellen Packham 7 Lauren Robson 8 Rosie Missen 9 Kacie Elson 10 Katie Barker 11 Georgia Gibson 12 Jess Spark 13 Keira Skelton 14 Becky Ferguson 15 Georgina Spraggon 16 Sharna Wilkinson 17 Lois Greenslade 18 Rachel Lee

Goalkeeper Defender Defender Midfield Defender Defender Midfield Midfield Midfield Forward Forward Defender Defender Forward Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield

Strip: Black and White Shirts, Shorts and Socks Manager: Becky Langley. Coaches: Lloyd Miller, Tom Gallagher.

Staff: Tony Dunn (physio), Kirsty Hicks (S&C), Dot Lee, Mark Craggs, Colin Lock, Jamelle Castaneda, Lisa Bell, Chris Stygal and Josh McClaren

Newcastle United Women Newcastle United Women began their defence of the BlueFin Women's Cup in October 2021 with a convincing 8-0 away win against Cramlington. They then faced Blyth Town in a home fixture that took place at Northumbria University and once again came away with a 7-0 win.

In the semi-final they came up against West Allotment Celtic and progressed to the final after a 5-0 win after a close fought first half that saw them go in at the break with a slender 2-0 lead.

In the run up to the final, Newcastle have not conceded any goals which is always pleasing for a manager and their coaching team. The County Cup has given manager Becky Langley the chance to rotate the squad and give players much needed minutes.

The squad are looking forward to the final against Wallsend which is a repeat of last year's final which was a great advert for football in the North East.