Alnwick Town Juniors make the BBC News as they cheer on local superstar Lucy Bronze

England and Barcelona player Lucy Bronze started her career at Alnwick Town. Picture: Getty Images

The men’s team beat Morpeth Town Reserves 3-1 at Craik Park in their most recent pre-season match and travel to Consett AFC on Saturday (July 29) as they get ready for their season opener against Ponteland United at St James’ Park on Saturday, August 5.

The women’s team, meanwhile, have just started their run of pre-season games, and played Penrith on Sunday, with their first competitive game of the season being against Gateshead in the NERWFL League Cup preliminary round on August 20.

Alnwick Town Juniors have been getting excited as a famous former player takes to the world stage. They held a special event to cheer on Lucy Bronze and the Lionesses as they started the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with a narrow win against Haiti.

BBC News paid the club a visit before the match to talk to players and coaches, including Bronze’s former coach Ray Smith, who said she was a very determined player who ‘just wanted to win all the time’, he said he even went as far as telling Bronze’s mother she would play for England one day.

Bronze played with the boys at Alnwick Team until she was 12 years old, when FA regulations at the time said she had to play for a women’s team, which Alnwick didn’t have.

Smith suggested she move to Blyth and said from there her career ‘took off’.

Bronze’s story has inspired the girls at the club and it now has seven women’s teams, with the youngsters interviewed by the BBC saying it was good to have someone local to look up to.

Bronze won her 106th cap against Haiti, a game the Lionesses won thanks to a retaken penalty by Georgia Stanway. Their next game is on July 28 against Denmark.

Alnwick Town Ladies have medals of their own after winning the Goals six-a-side tournament recently without conceding a goal.

Rothbury FC lost 3-2 to Wallington FC in the Mark Bruce Memorial Trophy at the weekend, going into a 2-0 lead before falling to an 85th minute winner.

The trophy match, which was first played in 2020, is a tribute to Mark Bruce, who played for both teams.