Paris 2022
On 4th and 5th June 2022, two teams from Manchester Laces took part in a 7aside tournament in Paris. The tournament was part of the Tournoi International Paris (TIP) and was run by two Parisian teams: Paris L’Arc en Ciel (Paris Rainbow) and PanamBoyz & Girlz United. There were 24 women’s teams in our competition and a wide range of experience and ability; one team had kits made from white T-shirts written on in sharpie while another had an ex-PSG player in their ranks. The two Laces teams were made up of a mix of our Blue and Green squads, with our most experienced players playing alongside others who were new to football a year ago.
Tactical planning got underway. Who was going to go in net when none of our goalkeepers had signed up for the tournament? How could we best show these Parisians what Laces footballers are made of? And how were we going to survive the blazing heat when we’ve only ever trained under Manchester’s perennially overcast skies?
Our two teams were in separate groups meaning we had the opportunity to cheer each other loudly from the sidelines. Both teams had some incredible wins in the group stage alongside some hard fought losses and finished second and third in their respective groups. The next day we came back for the knockout stages and both teams ended their final matches of the weekend with tense penalty shootouts. We finished in 7th and 12th place and came away thrilled with how we had performed together as a team.
We have to make some special mentions:
Judit’s incredible fingertip saves
Claire’s stunning free kicks
New signing Katie who joined the team in borrowed boots when her flight back to Manchester the day before was cancelled and who made such an impression on the pitch that she must now be sick of all of us asking, “so when are you joining Manchester Laces for good then?”
Lois and Emily’s solid back line as Emma ‘everyone’s-favourite-centre-back’ Morris decided to be a winger for the weekend
Jenny, for taking on mum duties and herding us, rather like cats, around the Paris metro system
Elena’s exceptionally cool goalkeeping for penalties.
Between all of the football, we made the most of being in Paris. Visits were made to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomph. Some of us even made it up the many many steps to the Sacre Coeur to get the view over the whole of Paris. We had group meals and saw the Spanish sides of Elena and Judit come out after a few drinks at Bar Oof.
Thanks must be made to Katie (AKA Chads) who seemed to have some connection with almost every other team at the tournament and who organised getting us there. Shout out to our fellow teams from this side of the channel, LLKA (London Lesbian Kickabout) and Cardiff Dragons FC, who we loved cheering for and playing against in equal measure. Finally, thanks to the tournament and the teams organising it for creating a fun and inclusive competition. As one of your signs said, or at least I think it did, my French is patchy at best: whether you’re gay or straight, we all wear the same kit.
by Rebecca MacDuff
