'Nothing short of amazing' Over-55 Vale and Valley Summer League
WF4W turned up in support of the fantastic new summer league for women over 55 years of age. In its inaugural year, the Vale and Valley league has drawn players from all over the country of different abilities from the ages of 55-70+.
The driving forces behind the league have been Chloe Jeremic-West and Mel Benson. On why the league holds so much importance, Chloe said, "We started the league because the game needed a dedicated space for the mature footballer. Playing against younger women can be fast and physical, so we wanted to lower the pace, reduce the physicality, and bring the pure joy of the sport back to the forefront. Seeing players in their 70s turn up to every league day with genuine excitement has been nothing short of amazing."
On the league facebook page, Mel celebrated the female players who signed up to play: "Remember most of these women were prevented from playing football as children and had no access to football as young adults. Most of these women are waspi women.
Some have had to shatter glass ceilings in their professional careers, some were hounded out or left jobs before same sex relationships were legalised. Some of these women have brought up children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Some are carers for parents or partners. Some of these women are 70+ years old."
Teams were invited to join the league, but there were also spaces created for individuals to enter. These individuals were assigned to a tournament team like the 50p Mix Ups! This has made the league more inclusive for women of this age group. Mel and Chloe received more than double the amount of registrations they expected for the league's first year.
The game days are alternated between venues in Cwmbran and Evesham, with the final day taking place in September in the Midlands. After three fixtures, Birmingham top the table on 30 points with both the British Allstars Originals and Penydarren battling it out on 25 points.
Entries are now open for the 2027 Over-55 Vale and Valley Summer Series from both teams and individuals.
Anyone interested can complete the Google Form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oTwgImdJN_0c6Xz18uqJGzvA5DC5F8_szE6ioBMV4mc/viewform
Or contact Chloe for more details
phone: 07930 662247
Meanwhile, here are some photos of Game Day 3 in Cwmbran.
Comments