18 minute read
Sport pages
from Palatinate 843
by Palatinate
SportSport Love at first sight: a taste of Durham Women’s football
Jonny Tiplady
Advertisement
Sport Editor
An Autumn chill had set against the tracked pitch of Maiden Castle. The darkness that was beginning to set in was soon pierced by floodlights. Fans and families slowly flocked in in their droves, filling up the stands and all four corners of the pitch. As the clock ticked towards kick-off, the anticipation was building. 7pm came, and the evening’s heroines emerged ready for action.
Before the game, there was an almost carnivalesque atmosphere. That sweet smell of sugary donuts wafting through the stands, hot dogs and chips that even I couldn’t resist. There was not an ounce of hooliganism or such around, this simply made for the perfect family day out. I could see it in the sheer breadth of supporters around me; students, families, casual supporters and even the diehard set of ‘ultras’ sat in front of us leading the chants (who were girls no older than 10, too). It was different to any other football match I’ve experienced.
Of course, it was no ordinary game for Durham Women FC. This was a break from a league campaign already in full swing, whose fine results had seen the Wildcats setting the pace in the Women’s Championship. A cup competition like the Women’s Super League Cup can throw up a plethora of challenges, and theirs was certainly no different.
Lady luck was seemingly not smiling on Durham’s chances. Pitted against four teams from the highest tier of Women’s Football, they would have a real test of their mettle against some of the country’s elite. Leicester City they were no strangers to; the Foxes pipped them to promotion to the Women’s Super League last season. Everton had been solid since their own rise in 2017. And of course, everyone already knows the names Manchester United and Manchester City.
It was the red half of Manchester that provided Durham’s first test in the cup. Despite being relative newcomers to Women’s Football’s top tier, they were now highflying, pushing for Champions League qualification in 4th place. Of course they had their own ‘ultras’ who had made the journey north, perched on the Wear-end of the stadium. And it was their fans who had the first laugh, United’s Ivana Fuso drawing first blood.
What had, up to that point, been a rapturous atmosphere was silenced in one moment. Half time provided some muchneeded reflection; the Wildcats were pegged back, and needed some sort of response. It took mere minutes of the second half for the roars to return, Dee Bradley levelling from a Beth Hepple corner. The crowd, no longer hushed, bellowed their team back on. Ella Toone’s wonder goal for the Red Devils could well have been cause for heartbreak, another mountain to climb for the hosts in a half they had dominated. But what followed was a moment to make you fall in love with football.
Just five minutes remained on the clock before defeat grasped her ugly claws around Durham’s opening cup fixture. A free kick on the edge of the box from a tight angle, it was a picture-perfect moment. I blink, and suddenly the ball is nestled in the near top corner; 2-2, it was lift-off at the sold-out Maiden Castle. The whole team ran to the corner to celebrate with their fans, frenetic in swarming adulation. While they may have lost the resulting penalty shootout, conceding a
Durham Women FC
bonus point to their visitors, that did not matter an iota. The end result merely capped off a valiant effort which showed that this team is ready for the next step. And they will take everyone with them. Hundreds stuck around after the final whistle to chat and take photos with members of the team. And not a single player hesitated to embrace their adoring fans.
This is a side united by a sense of community. Win, lose or draw, there are no egos, no fans chanting ‘off with his head’ at the manager after a few poor results. This was football at its purest, something which the modern game is seemingly losing sight of. For me, this was love at first sight. Durham Women, you’ve got me hooked. (Twitter)
Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is a super club
Jonny Tiplady
Sport Editor
The 7th of October is a day that will go down in Geordie folklore. After 14 years of misery, 11 different managers, two relegations and just three top half finishes in the Premier League, things could finally be on the up at Newcastle United. The weeds sucking the life out of the club have been cleared, 50,000 of the Toon Army assembled at St. James’ Park, unified for the first time in what feels like eons. At long last, nature in the north-east of England seems to be healing.
Such excitement and buzz are not feelings associated with the Mike Ashley era at Newcastle United. But the future under their powerful consortium trio, worth up to £700 billion if some reports are to be believed, promises much more.
The Public Investment Fund, with further backing from the Reuben Brothers and PCP Capital Partners, have lifted over a decade of gloom on Tyneside. Now, Newcastle fans across the globe will be dreaming of competing with the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
These are the sort of ambitions that Amanda Staveley holds for the Toon Army, declaring a Premier League title inside this decade their goal. But the investment Newcastle needs requires long-term thinking. They are in desperate need of a shake-up from top to bottom, from playing staff to the training infrastructure. With an academy whose well has dried up and facilities that are still yet to catch up with the rest of the Premier League, the new owners have their work cut out for them.
In spite of this newfound wealth and optimism, there are still huge questions to be asked on Tyneside. Steve Bruce has now left the club by mutual consent after a painful tenure. While the treatment he received from fans can never be condoned, this was a necessary step for the football club. When the tide needs to be changed, new owners have to take such measures to keep famously passionate fans on side. Removing an already unpopular figure from the equation was a no-brainer.
Under Bruce, Newcastle lacked tactical direction and a drive like they had under Rafael Benítez. I would even argue that the squad is now stronger than the one the Spaniard had at his disposal; with largely the same core of defensive and midfield options, Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin provide star quality and goals that they lacked before. But all this was null without any stability.
That should be the new owners’ first priority. Bookies have touted big names like Antonio Conte as Bruce’s successor, but the ship needs to be steadied first. They need a manager to come in and instil a style of football to provide a base for future big-name managers. There is no doubt that whoever they pick will be significantly backed, but we can’t ignore Newcastle’s troublesome position.
The truth of the matter is that they are in a relegation battle. Manchester City didn’t have the same concerns when they enjoyed their similarly groundbreaking takeover. While fans will be dreaming of Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland leading their line, they don’t yet have the draw for such superstars. Settling in the North East doesn’t have the same appeal it once did in football.
Playing in black and white stripes in the nineties was a sign you were amongst footballing elite. But relentless investment amongst league rivals and a widespread commercialisation of the sport means the region now has some catching up to do. This season should be about damage control, then regrouping thereafter.
It took Manchester City three years to win their first major honours after being taken over. Success doesn’t happen overnight, especially not in football. Turning this club around is going to take time.
I often think back to the famous ‘what is a club?’ quote from Bobby Robson. The ‘feeling of belonging, the pride in your city’. For the first time in a while those two feelings have finally returned. Now it’s up to the new owners to leverage them. This great club can reclaim its place on the English footballing mantle, but it won’t happen overnight.
Write for Sport
Pitch to us at sport@palatinate.org.uk or join the Palatinate Sport Contributors Facebook group.
For more Sport content: Twitter @PalatinateSport Instagram @palatinatesport
Sport Futsal at Durham: “You need people who are more well-rounded than football”
Sport talks to DU Men’s Futsal about Team Durham, futsal in England, and how football and futsal complement each other.
George Simms
Sport Editor
“If it wasn’t for Futsal, I wouldn’t be the player I am today”. In one sentence, Cristiano Ronaldo puts forward perhaps the best advert for futsal the sport could ever ask for. Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Philippe Coutinho, and many others, reserve similar praise for a sport often maligned as football’s very little brother.
As I discussed with DU Men’s Futsal co-President Jesse Bakare, Brazil’s ‘national laboratory of improvisation’ has now made its way to Team Durham. Played in teams of five, on a smaller, normally indoor pitch, Bakare described futsal as “kind of like basketball, but football”. A heavier ball is used, and the clock is stopped whenever the ball goes out of play, so it’s clear to see where the comparison comes from.
Only established five years ago, Men’s Futsal has risen quickly to its current status as a Team Durham club. Bakare runs the club alongside Jad El Kari. They now have three teams of eight, which were whittled down from more than 80 trialists after a surge of interest at the Freshers’ Fair. They are trained by FAqualified coach Alan Evans, in an effort to help the teams become more competitive.
It seems to be working – the first team recently beat Teeside 1s 12-4. Although the first team were relegated from BUCS 1 in 2019, Bakare assures me that, “under my watch, we’re going to get promoted again”. Both the 1s and 2s are now both in BUCS Tier 2, with the 3s in BUCS Tier 3.
With my best Jordan Belfort impression, minus the fraud and coercion, I asked Bakare to ‘sell me this sport’, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. “It’s more fastpaced, it’s more exciting, it’s more thrilling … when you play fivea-side, you rely on every single person on your team. There’s a close-knit culture within the team, futsal definitely inspires that over football.”
Whilst comparisons between football and futsal seem only natural, a lot of our conversation focussed on their compatibility. Bakare also captains his college football first team, Hild Bede 1s, which he’s clearly proud to by Covid-19, as the FA scrapped a newly announced £900,000 investment plan in the game and offered no real replacement.
Max Kilman, who is now a fixture of the Wolverhampton Wanderers defence, started his career in the England futsal setup. He got 25 caps for the side, having made his debut aged 18. Now 24, he’s played every minute in the Premier League this season and unsurprisingly credits much of his development to his time playing futsal. Kilman is a walking representation of why futsal needs investment.
As has been discussed, futsal and football certainly don’t need to be mutually exclusive; they actively complement each other. This is something that women’s futsal in Durham has over the men. Durham University Women’s Football Club (DUWAFC) boasts not only three ‘serious contenders for top of their respective leagues’ in football, but also three ‘competitive futsal teams’. Players from the football teams play for the futsal teams, and vice versa. Given the success of both sides, you have to suggest that it works as a system.
The success of the women’s side helps back-up Bakare’s claims that futsal in Durham “could definitely be bigger than it is”. He’s a big believer that once you watch futsal, it’s hard not to get hooked. He’s hoping that the team’s success
The Durham Men’s Futsal First Team (DU Futsal)
tell me have just been promoted back to the Durham big time, the Premiership.
“I definitely think futsal helps you to become a better footballer”, he tells me. “In futsal, if you get the ball, it’s instantly in press and you’ve got to a) have quick decision making and b) you’ve got to have good end quality and dribbling. You’re always under pressure … and also because the goals are smaller, your opportunities to shoot are less, so you need to always be accurate.”
“It’s much higher intensity than football, I think that’s something that a lot of people don’t understand. Everyone kind of plays in every single position, so in that sense you need people who are more well-rounded than in football.”
Alongside this, he emphasises the impact futsal has on teamwork and communication, saying, “If you have a team that isn’t quite gelling, isn’t quite communicating, you will lose every match.”
The skills you gain from futsal clearly help footballers from Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Portugal to improve their game, so it’s disappointing to see the state it’s in in England. Depending on where you look, it seems to vary between dire and non-existent. The national team ranks 60th in the world, behind Tajikistan, Kuwait, and the Solomon Islands. It was catastrophically affected this season could inspire a wave of futsal enthusiasm in Durham. “I want to get people down, maybe if we get to the semi-finals or finals of the Northern Cup. I think if people actually watch a game, they would probably stop with the chat.”
However, futsal in England is starting to show positive signs of life too. A three-year deal was recently signed between the National Futsal Series and BT Sport, committing to showing 110 hours of futsal throughout the 2021/22 season, split evenly between the men’s and women’s games.
This deal should bring both viewers and players to the sport and should hopefully inspire the FA to reconsider their shortsighted decision to cut funding. As former England U-19 captain Jared Rand said, this may well be the “first step in taking the sport from an amateur level to a professional one.”
Bakare’s enthusiasm for the sport is infectious and I’m sure I’ll find myself watching a game at Maiden Castle sooner rather than later. He’s aiming to continue growing the sport’s profile in Durham, saying, “I’m trying to properly form a club community, grow our presence in that sense. I also plan to have more socials and run a pretty tight ship in terms of training.”
In terms of growing the game across England, he advises we look to Power Leagues, the biggest company behind fivea-side football in England. Power Leagues has over 30,000 competitors across 200 UK locations. They see over ten million games played every year. Pushing these numbers towards futsal would instantly regenerate the sport in Britain.
Alongside this, we often see stories of incredibly promising young academy footballers who get released from club programmes. If these players grew up with futsal as an alternative, then being released could present a new world of opportunities, both for these bright young talents and for the sport itself.
Whilst the FA may be ignoring futsal, it’s wonderful that Durham isn’t. There’s futsal for both men and women even at college level and the University teams are going from strength to strength.
The sport that made Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who they are today is now gracing the North East. If you enjoy watching or playing football, Bakare, and I, encourage you to give futsal a chance. With the weather already knocking freezing, there’s no better time than the present.
Sport “This was football at its purest” Jonny Tiplady describes his personal experience of watching Durham Women FC “If people actually watch a game, they’d probably stop with the chat” George Simms talks to DU Men’s Futsal
St John’s A’s during their 12-2 demolition of Staff A’s in the opening game of the Floodlit Cup DURFC eyes BUCS Super Rugby defence
Abi Curran Sport Editor
Durham University Rugby Club are off to a flier in the BUCS Super Rugby League following a promising set of opening fixtures. The club hopes to defend their title as BUCS Super Rugby Champions after 18 months without a ball being thrown, kicked or touched. The Palatinates were relentless in their recent fixture against Bath, gaining an all-important bonus point from the 45-17 win. An opening try from Matt Woodward inside the twelfth minute reaped the rewards of a trailblazing attack from scrums galore that just couldn’t be held up by the Bath defensive line. And Durham know how to entertain this season. Roars from the stand and the hill alike rippled through Hollow Drift when on the stroke of half time Patrick Bishop, in true heroic style, prevented a Bath opening try after a blocked kick. Though Bath held their heads throughout, Durham dominated. Deserved tries from Paul Brown and Will Morris simply could not be stopped with the pair gliding past the Bath line at points. The Palatinate’s thrillers do not end there. A hard-fought 1313 draw against Cardiff Met in the first game of the season came to a nail-biting end with Tom Fletcher bagging a try in the final moments to secure a vital two points. Then there was Exeter, made all the more significant by its charity match status. Durham entered half time, disappointingly, 17-5 down against a travelling Exeter side. Though with the backing of an electric crowd and a solid winning kick by Patrick Bishop, the Palatinate clad team emerged with a victorious 23-20 result. Another win on the road at Swansea and DURFC are eyeing up a perch on top spot of the Super Rugby League. Their biggest rivals as it stands are Exeter, and we all know who came out on top of late. 1XV Captain, Fred Davies, gave Palatinate his assessment of the recent fixtures at home and on the road: “The first four games have been a test both home and away. We have had some great results but have also learnt a lot in these early stages of a long year. It has been useful to bring some confidence to some of the younger lads, however, among the older boys we know how long and attritional the BUCS Super Rugby League is.” The club as a whole are going from strength to strength with the whole of DURFC’s large cohort bagging recent wins across the board against the likes of Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh 1XVs. Davies spoke of the atmosphere in the dressing room after 18 months without the sport at university level: “Getting back in front of crowds at Hollow Drift has been a privilege and something we’ve really missed over the last 18 months. The atmosphere in the changing rooms has been a mixture of sore bodies and immense gratitude to be back doing what we love.” A record crowd of over 4,000 flocked to Hollow Drift for Durham’s charity game against Exeter. This was all in aid of Sport In Action, a non-governmental organisation who work throughout Zambia to improve people’s quality of life through sport and recreational activities. In total, £12,055 was raised at the Exeter charity thriller, with a further £2,500 raised at last week’s Bath game for ‘blOKes’, a mental health charity who focus on removing the stigma surrounding men’s mental health. This is a continuation of the club’s commitment to raising money for charity and giving back to the local community. Movember and NHS charity fundraisers are just a couple of successful campaigns the club has actioned of late with £9,000 raised for Movember last year. It is this spirit which is also being championed through college rugby. Hatfield RFC’s recent game against the Philippines raised £717 for Movember. The unique fundraiser drew the crowds in to see the Philippines narrowly win 15-10. Davies emphasised the importance of using rugby union to promote charitable initiatives, “At our home games we have a great opportunity to raise as much awareness and money for some important charities’, and also mental health campaigns, ‘The feedback has been fantastic and we shall continue to break the stigma surrounding speaking out.”
Dreams to be made as Floodlit Cup returns
Harvey Stevens Deputy Sport Editor
As the world focused their attention on Old Trafford last Wednesday evening, a footballing storm was also brewing over at Maiden Castle. Whilst Cristiano Ronaldo was securing a late win for Manchester United against Atalanta, St John’s A’s were putting the sword to Staff A’s. In the opening qualifying game of the famous college Men’s Floodlit Cup, John’s were 12-2 winners over the staff side. A double hat-trick from starman Finn Gordon meant that the boys from the Bailey will be progressing to round one. For those who don’t know, Floodlit is the highlight of the college football season. It is Durham’s own FA Cup and follows the same knockout format. So expect upsets, penalty shootouts, ecstasy and devastation, but a guarantee of excitement. There was no competition last year due to Covid-19 and the cup was suspended the season before when lockdown was announced in March. So the reigning champions are Hatfield A who triumphed over Josephine Butler in the final of the 2018/19 season. Make absolutely no mistake about it: floodlit is the place where college legend is made. Under the lights at Maiden Castle is where dreams come true, but it is also where dreams are shattered. As players and fans alike make their way across the car park at MC, there really is no other atmosphere like it. College footballers are turned into superstars for the evening with the knowledge that they can either be the hero or the villain. With the qualifying round now complete, eyes are all focussed to the first round of Floodlit. Kicking off in the coming weeks, players from all around Durham will be going head-tohead with their eyes firmly on the prestigious Floodlit trophy.
