On Sunday 31 March Bootham Girls U14s were invited to play in the first ever Easter Cup, held at Carnegie Sports Centre in Leeds. The opposition were City of Peterborough Futsal Club, Brodsworth Warriors and Canning Futsal, who travelled all the way from Scotland to participate. Each game was 20 minutes long, playing with a constant clock.

Bootham were represented by:

Abbie D, Hannah B, Erin E, Jessica W, Heidi J, Ami S, Eleanor C, Aria P and Hattie F

Game 01 – Brodsworth Warriors

The first game of the tournament saw Bootham up against a very strong grassroots side. They created plenty of chances to score, but just couldn’t beat the opposition goalkeeper and quick breaks saw Brodsworth score at key moments in the game. Lots to think about in the next two games.

Full time – Bootham Futsal 0 – Brodsworth Warriors 3

Game 02 – City of Peterborough Futsal Club

Playing against one of the best U14 sides in the country was always going to be a hard task. Bootham played some fantastic futsal, controlling the pace of the game and causing the opposition plenty of problems. Individual mistakes finally cost Bootham but the score line really did not reflect the game.

Full time – Bootham Futsal 0 – City of Peterborough Futsal Club 4

Game 03 – Canning Futsal

Bootham finally got the luck they deserved when Hannah scored after a move involving the whole team. Ami added a second with a neat second post finish and Eleanor added two late on, the second being another brilliant passing move. Abbie hit the bar and both Jess and Heidi made good saves when needed.

Full time – Bootham Futsal 4 – Canning Futsal Club 0

Game 04 – Canning Futsal – 3rd/4th Playoff

In the 3rd and 4th playoff, Bootham carried on from the previous game, where an early second post finish from Ami put them in control. The opposition never gave up and created several great chances to score with fine saves from booth Heidi and Jessica. Bootham again created plenty of goalscoring opportunities but came up against one of the best U14 goalkeepers we have had the pleasure of playing against, she is a star in the making!

Full time – Bootham Futsal 1 – Canning Futsal Club 0

Coach Chris spoke to us after the game and had huge praise for all his players, he said, ‘That was an enjoyable afternoon with some superb futsal being played by all the Bootham girls. I said to them before the games that winning or losing didn’t matter to me, I wanted them to play futsal and they didn’t let the club down. They moved the ball confidently about the court and caused all the team’s problems. Some individual errors cost us but I am happy with that, that’s part of the journey. In the first 2 games they had no luck in front of goal but they stuck at it, continued to play the way we asked and in the last 2 games got their reward for how they were playing. The referee said to me after the final game, your team played the best futsal today, which is a fantastic compliment for the girls.‘

He finished by saying, ‘A huge thank you to John from GLW for organising a very special event, we know it will be bigger next year, and to all the teams for travelling to Leeds, we hope you all got home safely. Special mention to Canning Futsal, who travelled from Scotland, their players and coaches were fantastic and we would love to play you again one day!’