Leek Building Society Helping To Grow Female Football In Staffordshire

On completion of the 2023-24 Staffordshire Cup Finals, we reflect on the two female competitions – the Women’s Challenge Cup and the inaugural Girls’ U16s County Cup, which were delivered in partnership with Leek Building Society. 

Both finals were held at Stafford Town Football Club with over 600 spectators in attendance across the two matches. In addition to the finals being the climax of the respective competitions, Staffordshire FA also used both events to showcase some of the excellent ongoing work taking place across the female game in Staffordshire.

The Women’s final included the showcasing of several female football initiatives across various age ranges, including Weetabix Wildcats, Squad Girls, and Mum’s Play; and the Girls’ U16s final included the delivery of a Women’s Coach Development Group CPD event, which is part of our wider initiative to get more females involved at all levels of the game – ‘Levelling The Score’, which is also delivered in partnership with Leek Building Society. 

The support received by Leek Building Society is enabling Staffordshire FA to develop innovative projects which can help to grow the female game – whether that be increasing playing opportunities, developing more female coaches and referees, or getting more females involved in volunteering in grassroots football.   

The finals themselves were two excellent games of football, with Sporting Khalsa Women coming from a goal down to beat Leek Town Ladies 3-1 in the Women’s Challenge Cup, winning the competition for the first time in their history. And Sporting Khalsa Girls’ U16s completing a county cup double for the club, as they won 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller against Lane Head Girls U16s, in a fantastic final in the competition’s inaugural season.

The Association will now build on the success of both finals and the various initiatives linked to the finals, as we look to develop all aspects of the female game and the Levelling The Score initiative.

Our sincere thanks go to our partners at Leek Building Society, whose support is making a huge difference as we continue to grow female football across Staffordshire.