Local Teams To Play For Trevor Clifton Trophy

A twenty-four team, six group tournament involving a number of Nottinghamshire based clubs, including that of Notts County Women, Mansfield Town Ladies, and Arnold Eagles et al, is scheduled to begin this coming Sunday, 18 April.

Entitled the Trevor Clifton Trophy, and first held in 2014, the tournament will see teams split into groups of four, and is named in memory of the former East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Treasurer, who dedicated more than two decades of service to the women’s game in the region; he sadly passed away in 2013.

Trevor dedicated most of his life to women’s football across the East Midlands and was rewarded with a Special Achievement Award in the November of 2012, a little over six months prior to his passing. Having sat on the committees of both the women’s, and girl’s leagues in the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League, and was seen to be a driving force behind numerous development projects with the aim of progressing the sport across the five counties the League represents.

Speaking of their return to action, and after several months of near nothingness, County manager, Adam Dunleavey, told the club’s media channel that: “We’re really excited to get back on the grass as it’s been a long time without football, so everybody is looking forward to getting back.

“We’re extremely disappointed about the null and void for the season but putting a positive spin on it does give us a long lead time to prepare for what comes next season.

“From a mental health point of view I think it’s been difficult for them, but we’ve managed to keep in touch, zoom calls, and kept things together, so we’re just getting back out there, and cracking out.”

(Check out the interview with Adam Dunleavey, and players Lauren Haslem & Zanny Deorio here)

Meanwhile, Mansfield Town Ladies manager, Andi Bell, told mansfieldtownlfc.co.uk that: “This is what we have been waiting for and working towards; competitive football is back.

“The girls are so eager to get back out there, show to our supporters, and ourselves, that we have not lost any desire for the game.

“We will go out there, give it our all, and most of all, enjoy it; it’s been tough for everyone and football can reconnect the dots.”

The opening matches for the ‘Pies’ sees County Women host that of Rise Park ladies, whilst the Development team make the trip to Sherwood Women; their two group constitutions being, in Group A: Arnold Eagles, Mansfield Town Ladies, Notts County Women Development, Sherwood Women, in Group B: Derby County Women Development, Loughborough Town Women, Notts County Women, Rise Park Ladies.

Whilst Group D will see SJR Worksop being joined by Chesterfield Women, Oughtibridge War Memorial Women and Rotherham United Women.

The opening day fixtures, for Nottinghamshire clubs, in the Trevor Clifton Trophy are as follows –

Group A – Mansfield Town Ladies vs. Arnold Eagles Ladies; Sherwood Women vs. Notts County Women Development

Group B – Derby County Academy Women vs. Loughborough Student Women; Notts County Women vs. Rise Park Ladies

Group D – SJR Worksop Women vs. Rotherham United Women

“Initially the Trevor Clifton Trophy was used as an ice-breaker for new clubs entering the league, the current competition is being used to facilitate the league being curtailed,” added Julie Mitchell, League Secretary & Discipline Officer, East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League

“The groups in place have been regionalised over three consecutive weeks before the top two go in to the League Cup, and the bottom two, the League Plate.”

Following completion of the round-robin group phase, the two tournaments, split into League and Plate, will see the first knockout round contested on 9 May, the quarter-finals on 16 May, semi-finals on 23 May, and the final, expected to be at Eagle Valley, the league’s home at Arnold Town, on 30 May.

Fixtures, and results, for the Trevor Clifton Trophy can be found on the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League website here.