Sports: Report - Women's Football 2021/22

This was another great year for the women’s M&Ms football team, although not without its difficulties. Building on strong foundations laid by previous captains, we continued to hone our skills (and catch up on some gossip) with popular weekly training sessions. Bolstered by the addition of some fantastic new blood, the M&Ms started the year strong. However, success came at a price. After helping to lead the team through Michaelmas, Merton captain Bridget had to step down due to injury, while illness and injuries during Hilary also meant the team was forced to pull out of Cuppers. Nevertheless, our players continued to give it their all, both on the pitch and supporting from the sidelines, and we finished the year an admirable fourth out of seven in the inter-college league (Division 1).

We continue to value an atmosphere of positivity, sociability and inclusion, embracing players of all skill levels and hosting socials throughout the year, including a film night and an end-of-term picnic and awards ceremony. This year also saw the introduction of a new Instagram account for the team with brilliant match reports by our very own Eleanor Luxton (2021) in her own inimitable style.

Looking to next year, we are excited to be merging with Wadham women’s football and cannot wait to embrace new friends and players.

Thank you to everyone on the team for their support and effort, and best wishes to next year's captains.

Bridget Harrington, Anna Field and Zahra Ahmed (Mansfield) (all 2021)

M&Ms Women’s Football Co-Captains 2022-23

The women’s M&Ms football team has had an absolutely stellar year, involving not only weekly training sessions where we perfected our trusty old drills but also tried inventive new ones (including a complicated bow-tie-shape manoeuvre that we hope to ‘finally’ get to grips with next year) but also a number of matches against other college teams. We played plenty of friendlies and also came second in our inter-college league, securing a promotion to the next division. Several of our players (as ‘Purple Rain’, due to our funky new kit) also had great success in the 5-a-side futsal competition in Trinity. As well as this, we played several Cuppers matches, and despite being knocked out of the main competition by Saints, reached the semi-finals of the Hassan’s Cup competition.

As we look to next year, the team hopes only to improve from here, always receptive to new drill suggestions from team members, and hoping to secure even more wins. We head into next year with open arms to new recruits from any year and experience level, excited at the prospect of new teammates and hoping to do our best to fill the shoes of this year’s finalists.

We remain convinced that our relaxed and positive team spirit are the key to our success as a group. Our termly team pizza and game nights (and picnic and awards ceremony in Trinity) only help to strengthen the sense of community that we’ve built. Those of us who are staying on next year are really looking forward to another year of playing for the team, while those of us who are leaving feel assured that we have found lifelong friends within the M&Ms.

Lumi Westerlund (Mansfield, 2019) and Rachel Blackhurst (2020)
M&Ms Women’s Football Co-Captains 2021-22