While the World Cup officially kicked off on Thursday 11June, a little closer to home another important football tournament was taking place, the fifth annual Sylvia Gore Schoolgirls cup final.
Ten Knowsley primary school teams braved the rain to compete in the final at Volair Halewood. They were:
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School
- St Columba’s Catholic Primary School
- Blacklow Brow Primary School
- Park Brow Primary School
- St Luke’s Catholic Primary School
- St John Fisher Catholic Primary School
- Millbrook Community Primary School
- St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School
- St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School
- St Mark’s Catholic Primary School
Following a nail-biting semi-final, it was an all-Halewood final as St Andrew the Apostle and St Mark’s faced off against each other, with St Mark’s lifting the trophy for 2026.
The Sylvia Gore Schoolgirls Cup was established in 2022 as part of Knowsley’s year as the Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture and is run by the Knowsley Schools Sports Partnership in collaboration with Knowsley Council and Volair.
The competition honours the legacy of Prescot-born footballer Sylvia Gore, who scored the first ever goal for the England women’s team in 1972 and played all over the world with the England women’s national side before going on to coach Wales’ national women’s team.
Sylvia dedicated her career to advancing the women’s game and her contribution to the sport cannot be underestimated.
Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council said: “It is fantastic to see the Sylvia Gore Schoolgirls Cup continue to go from strength to strength, bringing together young players from across Knowsley and giving them the opportunity to develop their skills, confidence and love of the game. Competitions like this are so important in inspiring the next generation and showing that football is a game for everyone.
“The tournament is a fitting tribute to Sylvia Gore, whose pioneering achievements and lifelong dedication to women’s football created opportunities for so many who have followed. Her legacy lives on through events like this, and it’s inspiring to see so many young footballers taking to the pitch in her name. Congratulations to all of the teams who took part, and especially to St Mark’s on their well-deserved victory.”
David Sweeney from the Knowsley Schools Sports Partnership said: “The players have outdone themselves yet again this year and despite really challenging playing conditions have given their all on the field. Massive congratulations go, not only to this year’s winners and runners-up, but to all of the teams that made it into the final. The standard of football in this competition gets better year-on-year and we cannot wait to start the tournament again in the autumn.
