On Saturday 8 August 2026, Bootham Ladies made the long journey south to Portsmouth to compete in the Aztec Women’s Summer Cup.

Having entered the tournament last year, Bootham found it to be an excellent part of their pre-season preparation, providing valuable game time against Tier 1 opposition as well as the opportunity to renew rivalries with some familiar opponents. This year’s competition promised to be an even greater test, with not only several Tier 1 sides taking part, but also international opposition in the form of Aarschot from Belgium and Birkirkara from Malta.

Bootham were represented by Katie Samson, Kim Samson, Suzy Collins, Jess Baker (c), Heather Smith, Erin Elliott, Daisy Smith, Molly Goodall, Eleanor Comrie and Hannah Block.

The tournament also provided an exciting opportunity for some of Bootham’s newest players. Eleanor Comrie, Daisy Smith and Molly Goodall all made their senior debuts for the club, gaining valuable experience in a competitive tournament environment. It was also the first tournament to see the new captaincy partnership of Jess Baker and Heather Smith in action, as they took on their leadership roles at the heart of a developing Bootham squad.

A new addition to the tournament this year was the introduction of a Plate competition, giving teams another opportunity to compete and gain valuable match experience if they did not progress to the Cup stages.

With a mixture of established players, new faces and strong opposition from across the UK and Europe, the Aztec Women’s Summer Cup provided Bootham Ladies with another valuable test as preparations for the new season continued.

Game 01

Bootham 2 – 1 Bournemouth Grey

Goals from Erin Elliott and Kim Samson

Game 02

Bootham 1 – 1 MK Mavericks

Goal from Heather Smith

Game 03

Bootham 0 – 4 Aarschot (Belgium)

Game 04

Bootham 0 – 5 Southampton Aztec Greens

Game 05 – Plate Wildcard Playoff

Bootham 2 – 1 Southampton Aztec Reds

Goals from Erin Elliott and Heather Smith

Game 06 – Plate Semi-Final

Bootham 2 – 2 Maidenhead

Goals from Kim Samson and Erin Elliott – Bootham won 4-2 on penalties

Game 07 – Plate Final

Bootham 3 – 1 Bucks Futsal Club

Goals from Molly Goodall, Eleanor Comrie and Daisy Smith

After nearly six hours of futsal, Bootham Ladies proudly took home the Plate trophy and finished 5th overall in the tournament. A hugely pleasing day for this young and talented Bootham squad, with many more positives than concerns and plenty of encouragement for the future. A great opportunity for the team to gain valuable experience, build confidence and continue developing together. A very positive weekend away for Bootham Ladies, and one to be proud of.

Speaking after the tournament, the Head Coach was delighted to see Bootham Ladies come away with another piece of silverware: “I’m delighted to come away with another trophy — it’s becoming a nice habit to get! We started really well, came a bit unstuck in the middle, although I’m not really sure why, but we finished very strongly. Today, we played three Tier 1 sides and only one of them beat us, which shows that we’re not a million miles away from being competitive in the top tier. Considering we had three players making their senior debuts today, we did remarkably well, and I’m really pleased with the overall attitude of the squad. We scored some great goals, with Kim smashing in two from distance, and Katie even scored her penalty!”

He finished by adding: “I’m not expecting too much from the squad this season, having lost so many senior players for one reason or another. It really is a rebuilding year for us. We’ll take this year to look at what we need to work on. I know the players will give it everything and, with that bit of luck, we should be pushing to regain our title.

Amazing photos from Suzy from the whole day!