SUPERMARKET staff bent it like Beckham to get their hands on the World Cup at Wembley.
Asda Weymouth women’s five-a-side team have won their own version of the trophy that eluded England’s male players last month.
On finals day they beat competition from seven different Asda stores from England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland to bring the gleaming trophy home to Dorset.
The supermarket colleagues, varying in age from 18 to 44, were presented with the Asda World Cup by a David Beckham look-a-like.
They were treated to a tour of Wembley Stadium after their win in the final on an outdoor astro-turf pitch in Wembley.
Goalkeeper Carole Topley, 42, who conceded just three goals over the tournament’s seven games, puts the team’s success down to good team work.
“I think it’s our team work that helped, we talked to each other and told each other where to go and what to do. We won our second game 8-0 and I think that was the turning point for us.
“We got over our nerves and wanted to try our best and go on to win the trophy,” she said.
The women’s football team was first set up by staff in Weymouth Asda about four years ago.
“We put something on the notice board and when we found out that more people were interested in playing football we started up a proper team,” Carole said.
Top scorer on the team was Chanelle Whyton, who netted 11 goals – including one in the final to mark a 2-0 win over their Asda Accrington counterparts.
The most satisfying part of being World Cup winners was taking the trophy back to the store, Carole said.
She added: “We did have a few of our men saying ‘ladies football is rubbish’, they didn’t say an awful lot when we won it but they did admit that women can play football.
“It was a bit of a case of ‘eat your words’ for us.”
Asda Weymouth manager Howard Stacey said that he was delighted with the team’s success after the women footballers were runners-up for the last three years.
He added: “They are a brilliant team and they don’t want to be second best.
“I think that Fabio Capello should come and watch them if he wants to see a bit of passion in a football team.”
n joanna.davis@dorsetecho.co.uk
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