First silverware for officers’ football team

Wrexham Town Police Station FC players returned home with silverware after competing in a recent eight-team tournament in Llandudno.

Hosted by North Wales Dragons at Maesdu Park, the Dragons Invitational Tournament welcomed teams from throughout North Wales and further afield.

Following a series of tightly-contested games against the likes of CPD Tal-y Bont, Curzon Aston Community Foundation and Tranmere Rovers Staff – the officers emerged with the tournament’s ‘Europa League’ trophy.

Sgt Dave Smith, who formed the police side earlier this year, missed the tournament due to work commitments but was proud of his players’ efforts.

He said: “Winning our first trophy is a nice achievement; but it’s not why we play these games.

“It was a brilliant day and all of the matches were played in the right spirit. I know our players enjoyed facing other sides, who do so much work within their communities.

“We’d like to thank North Wales Dragons for inviting us to play at the event. It was so well organised and a great advert for community football in this region.”

The Wrexham team formed in January as part of a community engagement initiative aiming to forge stronger links between officers and the communities they serve.

Championing inclusivity and diversity has been central to the officers’ engagement efforts, with the club set to face other community sides in the weeks ahead.

As part of this year’s Refugee Week, a mixed-gender police side will face Bellevue FC in Wrexham on Sunday, 26 June.

The 11am fixture will follow a game involving Wrexham’s refugee community an hour beforehand on Bellevue Park.

A week later in Liverpool, the officers will play Rainbow Toffees - Everton’s LTBTQ group who work to promote equality and eradicate prejudice in the club and wider community.

Sgt Smith added: “We’re delighted to have these upcoming fixtures in the diary.

“Bellevue are a club we know well and have a lot of respect for because of their tireless community-minded work.

“And then it’s great to have the chance to play the Rainbow Toffees, who have shown great commitment to bringing LGBTQ issues to the fore in Merseyside.

“We started this team with the aim of breaking down barriers and I feel like we’re achieving that with every game we play.

“Hopefully we have shown a human side to policing and given people a positive impression of the force as a whole.”

If your community side would like to play the WTPSFC in a friendly game, please contact: [email protected]