Spring success for women’s recreational football festival
Women from across South Yorkshire had the opportunity to test their skills and be part of an inclusive and enjoyable recreational football festival on Saturday 23rd April at Rotherham Football Centre.
The festival, known as Spring Fest, is the second of its type to be hosted by the Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA after the success of Winter Fest in December 2021.
Nine teams consisting of 58 women of all ages – ranging from 17 years old to 64 years old – participated in the event, with an incredible 188 goals scored in total across the day.
Aimed at women of all abilities, the recreational football festivals are all about having fun, socialising and enjoying the beautiful game.
Although this format of football is relaxed and non-competitive, friendly competition was still encouraged with prizes up for grabs for the winning team, most spirited team and most spirited player.
Congratulations to those that picked up an accolade.
Winning team: FURD (Football Unites, Racism Divides.)
Most spirited team (voted by other teams): Adwick Ladies
Most spirited player (voted by the officials): Sara Allen
The feedback from the festival was extremely positive, with all the players involved rating the festival as excellent and saying they would recommend future festivals to friends and family.
The participants commented that the event was extremely well organised, had a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and that it helped them meet new people.
Spring Fest was officiated by an all-female team who took charge of the games, with officials Irem Tarasek, Laura Gilmore, Lauren Cooper and Claire Cusack playing their part in the festival’s success.
Commenting on the day, Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA’s Women’s Recreational Football Officer Sara Harnett said: “It was an honour to see these groups of women come together and play in the spirit of recreational football, where fun comes first.
“We had teams at the event that have been together for years and new teams that had only just started. These festival are for all and it would be great to see even more groups join us at our next one.”
Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 coming to Sheffield and Rotherham this summer, the Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA is on a mission to encourage more women and girls to play football. Our goal is to increase female participation from 4,500 to 10,000 registered players by 2024.
We aim to do this by working alongside the alongside the Football Association (FA) and grassroots partners to provide opportunities for players of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to get involved in the game.
If your group or organisation is looking to set up its own women’s recreational football session, we can help get you started with access to funding and equipment. For more information email Sara Harnett at Sara.Harnett@sheffieldfa.com
If you want to be involved in our next women’s recreation football festival, make sure you are signed up to our monthly newsletter to hear about it first.
