Lancashire Lionesses with World-Class Attitudes

On Sunday, January 21st, the prestigious International Football Winter Tournament was held in Wassenaar, Holland. Barnoldswick Town Girls Junior Football Club was the only English team competing against some of the best teams worldwide. Despite being in the U14s age group, the Barlick girls decided to compete against boys due to a shortage of girls’ teams. It was a bold decision, but they were determined to make the most of the opportunity.

Manager Andrew Morgan described the group they were placed in as “the group of death!” Their first match was against Rijnvogels, a formidable boys’ team, resulting in a 0-1 loss. Their second match, against Buitenboys, a slick girls’ team, also ended in a 3-1 defeat. After a rousing team talk from Barlick coaches Sean Fitzpatrick and David Patrick, they took to the pitch for their third match with fire in their bellies, earning a well-deserved 1-0 win. Their final game was against Blauw Zwart, a boys’ team that had won all their games without conceding a goal, despite a good performance from the Barlick girls, the final score was 1-3 in favour of Blauw Zwart who went on to win 6-0 in the final.

“The tournament was an excellent experience for the girls, despite being placed in the ‘group of death’, said Andrew, “we’re all so proud of their efforts and the respect they showed everyone, regardless of whether
they won or lost.”

These future Lioness lasses were awarded the Best Sportsmanship trophy out of 45 teams who competed in the tournament in recognition of their professionalism and positive attitude, which was a testament to their character and true northern spirit.

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ColneLife March/April 24