Cardinal Griffin school from Cannock were last weekend's winners...
Walsall FC hosted the regional heats of the annual Football League Girls Cup last weekend.The six-a-side competition for girls under-13 offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for schoolchildren to play at Wembley Stadium.
At the start of a new school year, each of the 72 Football League clubs invite local schools to participate in a girls football competition.
The winning school then represents the Club in the area, regional and national phases, with the final taking place before the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final in March.
Cardinal Griffin school from Cannock won last weekend’s regional heats, beating St. Thomas More in the final, and will now represent the Walsall Borough in the next stage of the competition.
Bethan Woolley, the Football Development Officer at the Staffordshire FA, was in attendance and said: “It’s a great opportunity to provide a platform for girls to start playing competitive football, whether that will be in schools or at grassroots level.
"It was great to see so many teams and players turn up for the event and the quality of play was much better than what I’ve seen previously.”
Walsall manager Dean Smith added: “Women’s football is an important part of society.
"It was fantastic to see the women’s national team finish third in the World Cup. It’s starting to grow and rightly so.
"We pride ourselves on being the founders of football in this country but it should be participated by both sexes.
"It was great to see so many girls there."