A team of Northumbria Police officers were crowned Police Sport UK (PSUK) Women’s Football Championship winners on home soil following a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory.
The biggest event in the women’s police football calendar, the annual tournament was held over Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May, bringing around 250 players from all corners of the country together in one place.
With Northumbria Police selected as host for 2026, all the action unfolded at the Leisure United Ford sports complex in Sunderland, as 15 other forces attended to set up a tournament of 19 teams in total.
And after an action-packed schedule which saw these sides split into two initial league stages before the top four in each advanced to a straight knockout format, only Northumbria and its counterparts at Merseyside Police were left standing.
Team celebrations after a ‘tense and high-stakes’ final
Branch member DC Amy Jackson, who helped lead the organisation of the competition as an experienced PSUK participant, described to the Federation what happened next.
“After so much football had been played over a 48-hour period, the final was as tense and high stakes as you’d expect,” she said.
“The match itself finished 1-1 in a cagey affair, so then it was down to penalties – by this point, an incredible atmosphere had built up, although there were also plenty of nerves.
Winning side
“Fortunately, we found ourselves on the winning side of the shoot-out and lifted the Championship trophy at the end of a truly fantastic weekend.”
Normally manager of Northumbria Police Women FC in full 11-a-side fixtures, Amy’s primary concern at the tournament of smaller, shorter matches was overseeing its smooth running rather than any playing or coaching duties.
As a result, a triumph even greater than a home-force win for Amy was seeing ‘smiles on faces’ and ‘the entire event come to life’.
“I’ve been around police sport for 21 years, so I’ve been involved in competitions and tournaments in just about every capacity – to have the responsibility of organising this time around was a real privilege, especially for an event that matters to so many people,” she continued.
Northumbria lift the PSUK Women’s Football Championship trophy
“For everything to go according to plan was very pleasing, and it couldn’t have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of so many people.
“We had a lot to live up to after Surrey Police were such brilliant hosts last year. One thing we kept the same was Surrey’s change from 11-a-side to 7-a-side games.
“This lends itself to shorter, more frequent matchplay and, more crucially, makes the tournament more accessible to smaller forces who may otherwise struggle forming a team to play.”
The success of this latest edition was boosted by the enthusiasm of some senior figures within the Force, who help drum up excitement in the build-up to the tournament.
Competitive edge
Earlier this year, Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine – who is also co-chair of PSUK – and Assistant Chief Officer Joscelin Lawson conducted a live FA-cup style draw to determine who would play who in the initial league phase.
Chief Constable Jardine was also on hand in Sunderland to present the Championship trophy to the eventual winners, alongside a personal friend of Amy and the Premier League’s first-ever female referee, Rebecca Welch.
“Having this sort of presence at the tournament was fitting for how big a deal it is to a lot of people. It has a lot of history within police sport and a real competitive edge, and I’m sure there are some already thinking ahead to next year.
“In the 21 years I mentioned, I have never missed it – who would want to miss a huge festival of football condensed into one weekend, where colleagues from the same profession go up against each other and everything is decided in the space of a couple of days?”
Rivalry
Beyond the friendly policing rivalry fostered by the tournament, Amy pointed out that even more important is bringing officers and staff together to celebrate a shared passion.
“Despite some competitiveness, in the end, it doesn’t really matter who wins.
“What really matters is giving those involved an opportunity to bond, socialise and just let off some steam from a job we all know has immense pressures and demands.
“Across every match and everything in between, you could feel that was happening, and that’s what police sport is all about.”
You can keep in the loop with all the Force’s footballing activity on both the women’s and men’s sides by following @teamnpfc on X and Instagram.
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