The National Championships are the pinnacle of the college sport year, with students representing their region as they battle to win the Wilkinson Sword Trophy.
This year’s event will be held in Nottingham, with the women’s football tournament taking place at the University of Nottingham’s Highfields Playing Fields from 21-23 April.
The 2016 women’s football title was won by Middlesbrough College, representing the North East, for the second successive year, while the South East’s Worthing College finished with the silver medal ahead of Newcastle under Lyme College from the West Midlands.
10 colleges will be taking part in this year’s tournament, including last year’s silver and bronze medallists, in what is already gearing up to be an extremely competitive field.
There is set to be some exceptional talent on display too, with ECFA national team players Alicia Johnson, Brenna McPartlan and Olivia Wilkes (Accrington and Rossendale College), Amy Goddard, Paige Sawyer and Poppy Wilson (South Gloucestershire and Stroud College), Bridget Galloway, Louise Griffiths and Georgia Gibson (Gateshead College), and Valentine Pursey and Annie Rolf (Worthing College) all heading to Nottingham, while there are set to be several internationals on show, as well as players on the books of The FA Women’s Super League clubs.
AoC Sport National Football Development Manager, Lauren O’Sullivan, said: “ The AoC Sport National Championships will provide a fantastic spectacle of college football and celebration of the women’s game, with a number of top players to watch from our ECFA national team, WSL clubs and FA Women’s Premier League clubs.
“Women’s Football is a significant focus area in our new ECFA Strategy. We are excited to build on successes such as the National Championships and help address some of the challenges to double women’s and girls’ football over the next four years.
“Year on year we see the standard improving and this National Championships is set to be no different in Nottingham, with women’s football in colleges becoming increasingly competitive.
“Good luck to all the players taking part, and I hope you enjoy the experience.”
Now entering their 39th year, the National Championships are a celebration of competitive sport in colleges, providing recognition, enjoyment and a unique opportunity for students to compete. More than 1,800 students are set to compete across 13 different sports in Nottingham.
