Manor Academy crowned Utilita Girls Cup Local Finals champions in dramatic finish

44 minutes ago

2 min read

Mansfield Town Community Trust hosted the Utilita Girls Cup Local Finals on Thursday 5th November, bringing together 11 local secondary schools for an exciting afternoon of football. With the opportunity to represent Mansfield Town in the next stages of the competition up for grabs, teams competed across two groups, with plenty of competitive action and drama throughout the tournament.

A competitive afternoon of football

The tournament featured schools from across the local area, with teams battling through their respective groups to secure a place in the final. National Academy, last year’s defending champions, once again demonstrated their quality, finishing top of Group 1 to book their place in the final for the second consecutive year.

Group B proved equally competitive, with Manor Academy securing their place in the final after finishing top of their group. Both teams had worked hard throughout the afternoon to reach the deciding fixture, setting up an exciting conclusion to the local finals.

Drama in the final

The final brought together National Academy and Manor Academy, with both sides looking to secure the opportunity to represent Mansfield Town in the next stage of the competition. In a closely contested encounter, Manor Academy secured a dramatic 1-0 victory, scoring in the final second of the game to claim the Utilita Girls Cup Local Finals title. The result brought National Academy’s hopes of retaining their championship to an end, despite another impressive tournament from the defending champions, who reached the final for the second consecutive year.

An exciting opportunity ahead

As part of their achievement, Manor Academy will also be invited to take part as Flag Bearers at Mansfield Town’s Her Game Too designated fixture in March, providing another exciting opportunity to celebrate their success at the One Call Stadium. They now advance to the area finals in January. Success there could see them progress to the regional finals and, ultimately, the chance to play at Wembley Stadium.

A special thank you to Mansfield Town Ladies player Georgina Clements for joining us to present the trophy and medals to the winning team, helping make the occasion even more memorable for the players.

Congratulations to Manor Academy and all schools

Congratulations to Manor Academy on a fantastic achievement, and to all 11 schools who took part in this year’s competition. We wish Manor Academy the very best as they look ahead to the next stage of the Utilita Girls Cup, representing Mansfield Town.

Mansfield Town Community Trust would like to thank all the schools, players and staff who helped make the event such a success. Check out the gallery below!