Newcastle University

Newcastle University Staff Football Club (NUSFC) wins regional business league and takes home the trophy…

Two years after the club was established, the second team within NUSFC (NUSFT2) have secured the first league win in the clubs history, having claimed the top spot after clinching the result needed in their final game against International Paints, in the Newcastle City Council, Winter Business League 2013.

The final match was not an easy result, as NUSFT2 were 1-0 down for the first two thirds of the game.  With ten minutes left to go, the Business School’s student intern, Marcus Gill, acted as a super sub, scoring a quality goal, to level the score to 1-1, which was all that was needed to secure the point required to lift the trophy for the club.

The Championship League winning team was ecstatic with the result and after a lot of hard work over the last year, in building the squad up, finding match fitness and improving their performances, NUSFT2 were crowned league winners recently, when team Managers Paul Dearden and Peter Dinsdale were presented with the league trophy.

With an ever growing squad list and competition for places extremely high, across all three teams within the club, the league win will no doubt apply pressure to the first team (NUSFT1), as they are still to achieve some silverware for the club. No doubt the forthcoming derby games in the Newcastle University Summer Business League will be a hotly contested affair as usual and who knows which way those games will go, as NUSFT2 ride high off the back of their impressive league win and will be harder to beat.

Paul Dearden, NUSFT2 team Manager, commented on their success:

“The team can be very proud of this achievement and they have been a pleasure to train with and play alongside. The team spirit and ‘never say die’ mentality has resulted in some outstanding comebacks in recent games and winning the league trophy is just rewards for everyone’s hard work.”

Barry Vallely, captain of NUSFT2 commented:

“The most satisfying aspect of winning the league was that we did it the hard way.  The majority of our points came from losing positions, which is a testament to the team’s resilience and heart.  Despite being easily the best looking team in the league, we actually had the oldest average age and tightest socks.  And yet through adversity, we prevailed.  I’m immensely proud of the lads and this title gives us a great foothold for next season.”

Hoping to take home more silverware this year, NUSFC will be celebrating club success and players individual contributions to the clubs achievements, in its annual awards night held at the Business School in November.

The club is a truly welcoming environment for Newcastle University staff and external players alike, so if you are interested in joining the club, you can find out more information on the club website, or you can contact club leader Tristan Alltimes.