19/06/2026
🇪🇸 🔵🔴Barcelona Girls Cup 2026🔵🔴 🇪🇸
Following their wins at both the French Mediterranean Cup last year and at the Mitre Welsh cup the year before our U14s travelled to Spain this summer to compete in the prestigious Barcelona Girls Cup.
Throughout the tournament, the girls showed incredible skill, resilience and determination, competing in extreme temperatures against strong opposition from across Europe.
With an early morning start to the competition, they opened the tournament against a talented Swedish side and narrowly lost 1–0. While disappointing at the time, it proved to be the wake-up call they needed.
They responded brilliantly in their second group game with an outstanding team performance against fellow English opposition, securing a 3–0 victory with goals from Amelie W ⚽️ and Freya WC ⚽️⚽️.
Their final group game saw the team raise their performance to another level. Facing opponents from Iceland, the girls made both club and country proud with a superb display of football.
Auste M produced a calm and clinical hat-trick ⚽️⚽️⚽️, Sade L added another excellent strike ⚽️, but the moment of the tournament came when our rock-solid centre back Libby B scored a last-minute goal to make it 5–1 ⚽️. Watching the team celebrate together and seeing the genuine joy and affection for one another was something truly special.
With day one complete, the girls enjoyed some well-earned downtime together at the hotel pool.
Their performances earned them a 2nd place finish in the group, setting up a semi-final against a strong side from Manchester.
The semi-final was fiercely contested, with both teams pushing hard for a place in the final. The heat was relentless, but the girls showed incredible character, staying united, supporting each other and battling through every challenge. Goals from Freya WC ⚽️⚽️ and Freya L ⚽️ secured their place in the final.
A special mention must go to our captain Gracie B, whose leadership and influence in this match were exceptional and rightly earned her a Player of the Tournament nomination from the officials.
After a short break to rehydrate and recover in the shade, it was time for the final.
Final
KR1 (Iceland) v Stanton Ilkeston (England)
From the first whistle, it was clear we were facing a highly organised, composed and confident team.
KR1 struck first and understandably fatigue began to show after an intense tournament played in difficult conditions. With players carrying knocks and others pushing themselves beyond exhaustion, the team had to dig deeper than ever before.
Then came a moment of brilliance from Amelie ⚽️, whose equaliser gave everyone renewed belief.
Unfortunately, KR1 found another breakthrough and the match finished 2–1.
We may have narrowly missed out on lifting the trophy, but what an unforgettable experience for this group.
The girls played with heart, represented themselves impeccably and made their parents, coaches and club incredibly proud. Football isn’t always about winning — sometimes it’s about growth, memories, friendships and experiences that last forever.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for every single player. They conducted themselves professionally throughout and received numerous compliments from coaches and spectators on both their football and their attitude.
A huge thank you to the organisers for delivering such a fantastic tournament experience — professionally run and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.
Also huge thanks to the girls individual sponsors for supporting their journey.
Congratulations to all of the girls who took part, and to those moving on next season, we wish you every success and happiness in the future.
