Pic: TheFA.com
OLYMPIC MEDALS, the Brownlee brothers, the Tour de France’s Grand Depart – these days, West Yorkshire is a sporting mecca.
Now you can add the West Yorkshire League to the list. After winning the FA Inter League Cup back in May, the Step 7 competition travelled to Romania to represent England in the UEFA Regions Cup.
There’s often a lot of bluster about footballers at the top of the game not having enough pride in wearing the Three Lions. The tears in the dressing room after a draw against Russia, which meant they were out of the competition, show how much it means to the amateurs.
“It’s the pinnacle,” says Mick Payne, the amateur team’s technical manager. “It’s massive. At the end of the trip they all had their shirt presented to them. Playing for their country is something they will never forget.
“It’s a big learning curve and you can see how pulling on the England shirt makes them grow. They start out as amateur players, we try and make them as professional as possible. They bought into all of it and were prepared to do as much as they possibly could. They were a real credit and slightly unfortunate not to qualify. Everyone associated should be really proud.”
It was a long journey to Bucharest. First they had to win the knockout competition of leagues around the country. John Flynn’s side, who were reinstated to the final following a successful appeal against fielding an ineligible player, were crowned champions after beating the Teesside League.
It gives the players the chance to experience the life of a professional footballer, even for just a short period of time. The England C backroom staff, including Payne, lend their expertise, with warm down sessions slightly different from the usual post-match pints.
On the pitch – led by captain Matthew Moon – they did it the hard way, going behind in every group game. Goals from Tom Greaves and Barry Frankland saw them come back to win the opening game against the hosts 2-1.
Aiden Day grabbed the equaliser in the second game, a 1-1 draw against Serbia, to set up a showdown with Russia.
Distraught
A sublime strike from Day, after Daniel Cunningham had earlier levelled the scores, made it 2-2. But they couldn’t find the winner they needed and the Russians, who played every trick in the timewasting book, got a point to win the group.
Still, some effort. Russia’s team was picked from the country’s south east region, which boasts a population of four million.
“They were absolutely distraught,” Payne said. “The way the Russians behaved in that final game had to be seen to be believed. They had to overcome that and to come from behind twice showed their character. Being honest, there were tears in the dressing room after. That shows how much it meant to them. But they should be applauded for what they’ve achieved.”
So too, should the FA. After all, their remit is to promote the game at all levels. The West Yorkshire League players won’t forget their time with England, that began with a warm-up game in Scotland at the beginning of September.
We often hear the cliché about the honour of representing your country, whatever the level. These are the sorts of opportunities to dream of and will no doubt give other amateur players a real goal to work towards when the next competition comes around.
Guernsey took great confidence from winning the FA Inter League Cup in 2010, as well as their subsequent performances in the UEFA Regions Cup, ahead of entering a team into the National League System.
The Jersey Combination won it the following season and the Isle of Man League were 2015 winners. In keeping with their county’s sporting rise, the West Yorkshire League brought the title back to the mainland, and will surely be eyeing another success.
“They’ve represented so many amateur players in the game and they represented England brilliantly,”?Payne says. “The West Yorkshire League were fantastic ambassadors.”
