Girls' football shines at Foundation of Light's first Premier League Inspires Cup

Foundation of Light hosted their inaugural Premier League Inspires Cup, welcoming secondary schools across Sunderland, South Tyneside and County Durham to Ford Football Hub.  

The competition gave Year 7 and Year 8 girls the chance to represent their schools in a tournament facilitated by Foundation of Light coaches. Adding to the excitement, the Premier League trophy was on display for photo opportunities, providing plenty of inspiration for the budding young players.

Sunderland AFC Women U21 star and England Youth International Niyah Dunbar attended the event to watch the action unfold. Niyah, who has already made a handful of first-team appearances for the Black Cats at just 18 years old, presented the trophy to the triumphant team from St Joseph’s Catholic Academy.

The Hebburn-based school came out on top against Houghton’s Kepier School in the final, after 16 teams from 10 schools battled through a group stage and knockout rounds.

Foundation of Light Sports Development Officer, Kirsty McFarlane, said: “The Premier League Inspires Cup was an opportunity for girls in Year 7 and Year 8 to take part in a seven-a-side football tournament.

“After the success of the Lionesses, more girls now want to play football, and we want to give them that chance. Something like this is a great opportunity to get girls out playing.

“I think 10, 15 years ago, we would have been lucky to even get five teams. So the fact we’ve managed to get 16 teams from across the region is amazing, it shows how much girls want to take part now.”