Birmingham JSoc men’s football team beat Spanish counterparts in Madrid

Club captain Max Conway followed up with a quickfire double from close range, and Ethan Swead polished off a top team performance after the Olami team had pulled a goal back.

Conway commented on the game: “It was a fantastic performance from the team in unfamiliar territory. We showed bravery going forward and defended compactly. It’s so nice to see that we can compete at a high level, and I hope it’s just the start for international Jewish football.”

Goalkeeper and club president Harry Weiniger said of the occasion: “This result stands for much more than football. It’s a celebration of how strong, united, and proud our student community is – both on and off the pitch.

“The players carried Birmingham and Jewish student sport onto the European stage with courage, spirit, and class. I couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve achieved.”

The team can add this success to last year’s trophy win, when they became champions of the inaugural UJS Inter-JSoc Cup, which pitted 12 JSocs nationwide against each other in a knockout competition.

Birmingham JSoc Maccabi Selly Oak women's football team with their winning shield (photo: Lukas Black)[Missing Credit]

Back on home turf, the Maccabi Selly Oak women’s team – the UK’s first and largest Jewish women’s university football team – became UJS Cup women’s champions for the second year running.

Hosting the tournament in Birmingham, they saw off visiting teams from Leeds, Brighton & Sussex, and Warwick JSocs, and a fourth opponent, whose team combined players from the JSocs in Bristol, Loughborough, and Exeter.

They beat all four teams in the group stage, scoring 22 times and conceding just twice, before seeing off the Brighton & Sussex side 3-0 in the final.

Ella Plasett was the tournament’s top scorer and won Player of the Tournament alongside teammate Shira Myers.

Club captain Aimee Jayes said that she was “super proud of everyone that played. The cohesion, passion, and enthusiasm that the team played with was incredible to watch and even more satisfying to be a part of”.

The tournament, which was refereed by UJS president Louis Danker, only comprised three teams last year, so the expansion is viewed as positive progress for the women’s game within Jewish university communities.

Jayes commented: “This is a good foundation for the development of women's football in the Jewish community because it triggered the formation of the Warwick team, some of whom had never played football before.

“Hopefully, this tournament will encourage more girls and universities to create teams so that next year we can make it even bigger."

You can follow the progress of the men’s team here and of the women’s team here.