Garforth Villa girls under 13s recently returned from an unforgettable tour, marking a historic milestone for the club. The team became the first girls’ team in the club’s 50-year history to embark on a tour, waving the Yorkshire flag as they showcased their talent on an international stage.
Bellway Homes played a crucial role in supporting the tour by not only sponsoring the team’s kits, but also providing vital financial backing for accommodation and travel expenses which set the team well on the way to the £16k needed to fund the trip.
During their tour, the team had the pleasure of training with Spanish La Liga side, Espanyol, allowing the young players to gain invaluable insight from elite-level players and coaches. The team also showcased their talent against two local Catalan teams: one game ended in a narrow 4-2 defeat with Freya Twort scoring the first ever girls’ goal abroad, the second game was stretched to a penalty shootout, with the team losing in incredible heat.
Jim Ballance, Garforth Villa’s girls coach, said: “Although the matches resulted in narrow defeats, the girls demonstrated exceptional teamwork and skill, and gained a life experience. I can’t express my gratitude to Bellway enough for their generosity in making the team look so professional in the international fixtures. Without their funding kickstart, none of this would have been possible.”
Bellway’s divisional headquarters are located less than a mile away from Garforth Villa’s home ground at Glebelands off the Leeds suburb’s Ninelands Lane. The housebuilder currently has 12 active developments in Yorkshire.
Melanie Smith, sales director of Bellway Yorkshire, said: “I waited for the plane ticket to arrive so I could join what looked to be a fantastic experience but unfortunately the sponsorship didn’t cover that! We build homes that quickly form communities and for a lot of local people, sport is a community; whether that’s junior level through to open age.
“Bellway were honoured to sponsor Garforth Villa and we loved seeing the pictures of the girls proudly wearing the kits.”
Garforth Villa girls currently compete in the West Riding League and finished a respectable fourth place.
“The tour meant everything to the girls. They wore the Bellway kits with pride and we even had one girl, Hannah Baker, who was unfortunately unable to play the games due to life changing surgery, but insisted she still came and backed the team every step of the way,” added Jim.
