NEARLY 50 members from Launceston Girls Football Club travelled up to Wembley to watch the 2017/18 SSE Women’s FA Cup Final on Saturday, May 5.

There was great excitement as they set off for North London; an opportunity for the girls to watch a match together instead of playing and to see Chelsea take on Arsenal.

Manager/coach, Zoe Curtis, had swapped her training kit for a Chelsea top, the rest of the group of girls, siblings, parents and grandparents were a quite even mix of supporters.

The girls’ road to Wembley started when there was still snow on the ground as Tesco kindly agreed for the team to hold a bag packing day. The generous donations of the people of Launceston raised half the cost of hiring the coach. The fundraising continued with a fun-filled afternoon of Easter bingo at Launceston Football Club.

The trip is one of the highlights of the team’s season, providing inspiration, a chance to see a high-profile match and experience the home of football. A record crowd of 43,423 made an exhilarating atmosphere but still maintained a non-threatening family feeling that was a pleasure to be a part of.

The first glimpses of the famous arch bought great excitement, which continued all afternoon and the game did not disappoint.

The opening 45 minutes ended goalless but the girls had perfected their Mexican wave technique and caught a glimpse of presenter Gabby Logan!

The second-half was action-packed with a chance for both sets of supporters to celebrate a goal as Chelsea ran out 3-1 winners.

The long journey home had an exciting service station stop as the Plymouth Argyle players coach parked beside theirs. Although they weren’t in high spirits following their 5-2 defeat at Gillingham, many still managed a smile, wave and even a few selfies.

Launceston Girls train on Wednesday nights and always welcome new players. For more information, contact Zoe at [email protected] or by calling 07939 087083.