The team, made up of players between the ages of 35 and 60, formed this year to play football recreationally as a group of friends but have since found their way to the finals of The FA People’s Cup which will be held at St. George’s Park for the first time this weekend.

Source: The FA

To complete their day the team were whisked off to St. George’s Park, the home to England’s 28 national teams, for a surprise training session led by England Coach Casey Stoney, who has amassed over 100 caps for her country.

Speaking about the experience, Casey Stoney, said: “The FA People’s Cup is an extremely important competition providing an opportunity for all people to play football. And there is no better example of the positive impact it can have than the story of the Nottingham Vets, a group who, have fun, stay active and maintain friendships every week. The team can now look forward to a very special day out at St. George’s Park this weekend. It was a pleasure to meet such an inspirational group and I hope they can continue to motivate females of all ages around the country to give football a try”.

Danielle Pritchard, the founder of Nottingham Vets said: “This experience has been another example of why football is so special, regardless of age, gender or ability. From seeing our pictures on the wall in our local café to having a kick-about with Casey Stoney, the day is one that myself and the team will never forget. We are now looking forward to the finals and hope that we can make Nottingham proud”.

The FA People’s Cup is the nation’s largest and most inclusive small sided football competition which has seen over 6,500 teams enter across 18 categories this season. The competition, which launched in January, is open to players of all ages and abilities.

The Finals of The FA People’s Cup takes place this weekend and will be available to watch through the red button and on BBC Get Inspired. Simply visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/get-inspired to follow all the action.

Courtesy of the FA

The deadline for registering teams for this year’s tournament is Sunday night, and in a last push for entries and to raise awareness of the tournament, the FA recruited young Braydon Bent (a football crazy Manchester City fan) as an ‘FA People’s Cup Correspondent’.

Charismatic Braydon did what he does best and walked the streets of Manchester on Wednesday to interview the general public about all things football, and asking them to show off their football skills.  Take a look at the link above, I guarantee he will make you laugh and hopefully ignite your interest in the competition.

The different categories in which you can sign up are as follows:

U14 male, U14 female, U16 male, U16 female, youth disability mixed, adult male (16+), adult female (16+), adult male disability (16+), adult female disability (16+), university male, university female, male veterans (35+), female veteran (35+), walking football (50+), college male (Futsal), college female (Futsal).

You can sign up for the People’s Cup here.

Story courtesy of the FA via FUSE

The FA People’s Cup is back following a very special launch event at St. George’s Park (on Friday 12th January), turning dreams of lifting a trophy at Wembley Stadium into a reality for people all over the country.

And with registration to the free-to-enter five-a-side tournament now open to amateur players of all ages and abilities, people can dust off their boots in preparation for the nation’s largest and most inclusive small sided football competition.

To celebrate the launch, a diverse group of amateur players came together at the National Football Centre to take part in The FA’s first ever specialist five-a-side training camp, taking the opportunity to hone their five-a-side-football skills ahead of this year’s tournament.

Attendees, including U14 girls and boys, university students, disability players and walking footballers, took part in expert sessions with elite FA coaches, with advice on perfecting the often match-deciding ‘one-step- penalty’ and mastering the ‘showboating skills’ needed to beat your opponents in style.

Those in attendance were also able to follow in the footsteps of England’s 28 National teams by playing on the pitches at St. George’s Park, which will host the Finals of this season’s FA People’s Cup for the first time in the competition’s history.

One of the teams in attendance at the training camp were the Crawley Old Girls, a side who reached the Finals of last year’s FA People’s Cup in the Women’s Vets category (over 35s). The team, who describe themselves as “a group of ‘old’ girls learning to play football while having fun and making new friends”, are a great example of the inclusive and positive nature of the competition.

Les Howie, Head of Grassroots Football for The FA, said: “The FA People’s Cup is extremely important to grassroots football in this country, providing a fantastic opportunity for people to play the game we all love. With 18 categories welcoming a truly diverse set of entrants, this competition really is for all. And with the added appeal of a final at St. George’s Park, 2018’s tournament is set to be the best yet”.

Teams and individuals are able to enter the tournament by visiting The FA  where they can find more details on the competition and how to sign up.

Report courtesy of the FA