The story of a staggering season for this Warrington junior football team
IT has been quite the season for Matthiola JFC's under 13s – and it could be about to get better still.
Having earned the right to represent the north west on the national stage, the team are gearing up for a county cup final in their attempt to secure a league and cup double.
The Great Sankey-based team enjoyed a staggering campaign in the Junior Premier League and were champions of their division having won 14 of their 16 matches, losing just once.
As a result, they were invited to compete at the JPL's National Finals tournament at Warwick University last weekend, where they distinguished themselves against more established academy sides.
Now, focus switches to adding a cup final win to their league title as they travel to Walton Hall Park – the home of Everton FC's women's and age-group sides – to face Liver Juniors in the LCFA County Cup Final on Friday night.
'We are all proud of the lads and their progression both individually and as a team,' the team's manager Alan Staniford said.
'Some of them have gone on to play for professional academies and some have pushed themselves towards the top of the grassroots standard, showing development at all ability levels.
'Above all though, they have all developed into fine teenagers and young men for which we are all immensely proud of.
'I would like to thank our fantastic parents for their unwavering support and dedication travelling thousands of miles to not miss a game or training session, giving our players the best platform to succeed.
'And also, a massive thanks to our coaches Adam Rosterne and Neil Hunter, who have been there for myself and the team every step of the way and it has been key to keeping the group on track at a challenging age, not just in football but in their lives.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
8 hours ago
- CNBC
U.S. judge approves settlement allowing NCAA schools to pay athletes
A U.S. judge on Friday granted final approval to a $2.8 billion settlement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association that will allow schools for the first time to compensate student athletes for past and future commercial use of their names, images and likenesses. The settlement, approved in a ruling by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in the Oakland, California, federal court, resolves long-running litigation between the NCAA and student athletes. "Despite some compromises, the settlement agreement nevertheless will result in extraordinary relief for members of the settlement classes," Wilken wrote. She said the deal will "permit levels and types of student-athlete compensation that have never been permitted in the history of college sports." The ruling marked a "historic day for college sports and the rights of athletes," the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs, Steve Berman and Jeffrey Kessler, said in a statement. In a statement, NCAA President Charlie Baker welcomed the judge's ruling. "Student-athletes will benefit from the rich opportunities they enjoy now, plus far more scholarship opportunities, landmark financial benefits and a streamlined NCAA to support them," Baker said. The NCAA denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. The deal faced dozens of objections that it didn't adequately compensate athletes or was unfair in other ways. Objectors to the deal now can appeal to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The settlement, covering hundreds of thousands of current and former students since 2016, resolved three lawsuits that claimed NCAA rules barring payments to athletes violated U.S. antitrust law. The $2.8 billion will cover past damages. The plaintiffs' lawyers previously estimated the deal would provide tens of billions of dollars to class members over the next 10 years. Schools will be allowed to pay athletes from funds that universities receive from broadcasts and other commercial sources. The NCAA in April convinced a federal judge in Manhattan to dismiss a lawsuit seeking compensation for thousands of former student-athletes who played team sports in college prior to 2016. Those students have filed an appeal.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alex Post: Aspiring, inspirational swimmer
BROOKINGS, SD (KELO) — There are no lazy summer afternoons lounging by the pool for a Brookings man. Instead, Alex Post is jumping into the water as part of his training to become a world-class swimmer. Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School Board facing a lawsuit His rigorous workouts are an inspiration to others who may be facing challenges of their own. Post swims dozens of laps in the pool at the Miller Wellness Center at SDSU. 'Very exhausting. Especially if I do about half of them are backstrokes, the rest is more of the butterflies and that's a lot harder for me,' Post said. Post is constantly trying to improve his time. 'I could swim in a 25-meter, I think my best time is 45-seconds, which is really good for a guy like me,' Post said. Post, 24, has been swimming for much of his life. But just a couple months ago, he discovered he could swim without a life jacket. And that would plunge him into uncharted waters. 'At first, I was afraid to swim. I thought I was going to drown. And so, I finally had to get past that fear and just do it,' Post said. You see, he swims without any legs. 'I was born with the rare genetic disease called arthrogryposis which affects muscle and bone,' Post said. A dozen years ago, Post decided to have his legs surgically removed. 'A lot of my joints are frozen into place. They can't move and so I knew I was never going to be able to walk with my legs so I told my parents I wanted to remove my legs,' Post said. Now he aspires to compete in the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. But first, he'll have to compete in preliminary events at the regional and national level. Whenever Post is in the water, he's overflowing with confidence. 'He's driven, super-outgoing, confident and then the biggest thing is he's reliable. Every day he wants to get better,' Post's coach and caregiver Scott Ault said. South Dakota's fall pheasant outlook is 'very positive' 'I push myself and it gets tough sometimes because the muscles hurt. Everything's going to hurt and I know that I'm going to get there,' Post said. Post is staying in his lane in pursuing his paralympic dream. But he's looking beyond his own ambitions to bring hope to others. 'I'm not just trying to inspire people with disabilities. But people that think they're not good enough in life, that want to give up and I just want to show people there's no point in giving up, there's something that you can do,' Post said. Leaving a legacy of determination and drive in his wake. 'One of the things my mother always said was: you shoot for the moon and if you don't get there, you'll still fall amongst the stars. And that's Alex in a nutshell,' Ault said. Post is a client of Right at Home In-Home Care & Assistance. The Sioux Falls-based company is sponsoring his Paralympics quest. He is looking for additional help. If you'd like to be a sponsor, we have a link to his Facebook page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ticker: ESPN's New York Shows Are on the Move
Top of the Ticker: ESPN is joining Good Morning America and ABC News' other programming at Disney's 7 Hudson Square HQ in Manhattan. The Disney-owned sports network is moving its New York-based shows from their perch at Seaport Studios, where they've been since 2018. Get Up will be the first show to air out of the new space on June 9, followed by First Take on June 23, alongside ESPN Radio's signature morning show UnSportsmanLike. New Promo: Meanwhile, GMA has debuted a new promo campaign that marks the start of its 50th anniversary celebrations. Titled 'Coming Home,' the promo features co-anchors Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan-as well as the show's extended family-visiting their respective hometowns. The promo could also be viewed as an indirect nod to the show's move from Times Square to its new home at 7 Hudson Square sometime this summer. Pride Celebrations: Speaking of ABC News, the network has announced programming initiatives to celebrate Pride Month. Airing across all dayparts and properties, coverage will feature reporting, interviews, and features highlighting people, stories, and issues important to the LGBTQ+ community. C-Span: C-SPAN debuted a refreshed on-air graphics look across its networks this week. 'Our new look was designed in-house with internal feedback as well as a review of comments from viewers over the years,' executive producer Paul Brown said in a statement provided to TVNewser. 'One of our primary goals was to enhance brand consistency by creating a unified look that eventually will run across all our platforms.' Brown also noted that C-SPAN's last major graphics occurred back in 2018. Increased tech coverage: Bloomberg is launching two new monthly tech programs, broadening its global coverage with region-specific offerings. Bloomberg Tech: Europe, anchored by Tom Mackenzie, debuts on June 13 at 1:30 a.m. ET; and Bloomberg Tech: Asia, co-anchored by Shery Ahn and Annabelle Droulers, premieres on June 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET. These programs complement the existing Bloomberg Tech, which airs at 11 a.m. ET, and recently unveiled a refreshed format with new branding and graphics.
