Barrow’s own England football superstar, Georgia Stanway is supporting the biggest ever girls’ football tournament ever to take place in Furness, TODAY Monday 9th March as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations.
Three hundred local girls from over twenty schools all over the area will take part in the ‘Stanway Tournaments.’ The matches take place on the Peace Pitch at Barrow Celtic Juniors- one of less than a hundred pitches throughout the globe which are part of the Children’s Football Alliance.
The tournament is organised by the ‘Step up and Play’ social initiative in which Central Barrow schools work through Furness Education and Skills Partnership.
In a video message from Germany, where she plays for Bayern Munich to the girls, Stanway said, “I hope everybody’s well. I just wanted to wish a massive good luck to everybody taking part in the Georgia Stanway Girls Cup. It’s going to be an unbelievable experience. I’m so proud that it’s in my name. Hopefully I’ll be able to get down to a tournament one day soon. But enjoy it and make sure you play with a smile, make new friends and enjoy the day.”
Organiser and Dalton Ladies coach Leanne Holmes from St George’s school said, “Georgia Stanway is an inspiration and icon to our town and we are so proud that she represents our town”
There will also be recognition of the history of women’s football in Barrow as a whole, from Vickers Munitions ladies who represented England over 100 years ago, through the Barrow Arrows team of the early seventies and local women’s players who have also played for teams like Leeds United and Liverpool.
For Westmorland and Furness, Erin Doherty said “WAF are proud to be part-funding the Georgia Stanway Cup through the Community Power Girls Football project. Through workshops with girls and key stakeholders involved in the local game, we have identified several barriers affecting girls’ participation in football and highlighted opportunities to address these through collaborative working. With inspiring role models like Georgia Stanway leading the way, it is important that we continue to build momentum for girls’ football and create opportunities for young players to develop, grow, and thrive.”
The events, which are supported by both Barrow Town Council and Westmorland and Furness Council start from 9.15am on Boyd Park, Schneider Road.