Kernow FA president hails 'culmination of years of hard work'
Kernow Football Alliance defeated FA Sapmi on Sunday to secure their spot at next year's CONIFA World Football Cup. Kernow president Jason Heaton reflects on the five-year journey to get here...
🎉 Kernow FA president hails 'culmination of years of hard work'
By Tom Howe
Five years ago, almost to the day, Alex Svedjuk sent a winning penalty past the goalkeeper of Northern Cyprus to win the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup for Karpatalya. His strike came in front of more than 2,500 people in attendance at Enfield Town, a number that included at least two that had ventured from Cornwall.
One was the author of this very article, Tom Howe, and the other Jason Heaton. Sat in the home dressing room hours before the gates opened and turnstiles clicked, the topic of discussion was whether Cornwall could support its very own team within CONIFA; the governing body for non-FIFA teams, otherwise known as the Confederation of Independent Football Associations.
An application was made and membership for the Kernow Football Alliance was granted later on that year. They, as were CONIFA, looked forward to the journeys ahead on the back of what was both a captivating and groundbreaking third iteration of the body’s most prestigious competition.
However, London 2018 remains the last World Football Cup to have taken place. The following one, due to have been held in North Macedonia and to have featured Kernow FA for the first time, was ultimately cancelled due to the outbreak of covid-19. The pandemic also meant that the event’s sister, the European Football Cup, set for Nice, France was halted on two occasions, while a further attempt in Northern Cyprus was withdrawn after the devastating Turkey-Syria earthquake.
The world, CONIFA and Kernow FA have needed to improvise, adapt and overcome. Plans for a tenth anniversary World Football Cup, to be hosted by Kurdistan next year, have since been announced alongside a string of qualifying fixtures throughout the globe. Back again were the Cornish, who secured their spot with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph against FA Sapmi at Falmouth Town AFC in last Sunday’s one-shot winner-takes-all clash.
“What has happened is the culmination, without exaggeration, of years of hard work,” Heaton told Cornwall Sports Media. “There have been knock-on effects from the cancellations which led to a patch where we found ourselves having to start again. Six months ago, we were at a standing start. We were in debt and I mean that in terms of where we could spring from and where we were in relation to the people involved.
“In the time since the cancellation in Nice, people have been through hell for some parts. There have been some real tests of character, business growth and spiritual growth. Pulling all that back and going again was quite extraordinary really. I thought we could raise a few quid and go abroad but all the times that were cancelled, that was always somewhere else.
“We had everything booked, people taking time off work, it takes everything to sort these things out. People have to be fully committed to such a level. Cancellation culture breaks spirits so I thought, instead of going somewhere else, let's negotiate to bring the football here, trying to do what was best for the people who had invested their time before.
“Cornwall has to know how to win, that it can go into the world and win. We play to win. Football does the talking and that is the point. We can pull together and do stuff, we can take on the best and achieve things that have never been done before. That is massively important to me and to everyone else. The knock-on effect is that we have a winning international football team for Cornwall that is prepared to go to a World Cup.”
CONIFA leads a vibrant non-FIFA football landscape as a global acting non-profit organisation that supports representatives of international football teams from nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories.
Kernow, the Cornish word for Cornwall, is recognised as one of six Celtic nations, alongside Brittany, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales, and, in 2014, was recognised by the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
The support and interest in their representative team hasn’t wavered if Sunday’s occasion is anything to go by, with a record crowd of around 350 filling Bickland Park with patriotic fanfare illustrated by a backdrop of black and gold flares.
Their 19-man squad were selected and led by a management team consisting of Darren Gilbert (Liskeard Athletic), Andrew Graham (Mousehole) and Wayne Roberts (Wadebridge Town), each instantly recognisable characters on the local scene and some of the most decorated football men in the South West.
It featured playing talent from each tip of the region, from Mousehole to Launceston, and Helston to Wadebridge, with representation from steps four, five and six of the national league system and ages ranging from 18-year-old Jack Symons to 38-year-old Andy Watkins.
“Darren, Andrew and Wayne put together such a good squad,” explained Heaton. “At the age of 33, Truro City’s Shane White was there, having not been able to play for us before. He turned up and put in a man of the match performance. He shows that when you represent somewhere like Cornwall, age does not matter. Ultimately, what did matter was his experience during the game. The man was engaged fully.
“This was Cornish football. We were strong and aggressive. Massive respect to Sapmi, especially for making the 5,000 mile round trip but they didn’t have that edge. They were professional but Kernow were full of character. I mean, how many people do you know in Cornish football that turn up two or three times a week just so that they can wind up their mates in the opposition?! There is an incredible spirit in this team.
“We bring young players through and into a family environment. That is how you get the most confidence. We have been doing all this while players are trying to finish a season and then start a new one, the day after some were playing against professional teams right here in Cornwall. That is the spirit of the whole thing.
“There were people cheering them that don’t like football but turned out to support Kernow and that is the Cornish mentality. Graham Medlin [Falmouth Town chairman] gave us the use of Bickland Park on a phone call, we had never even met. That is Cornwall in a nutshell. Cornwall is a sporting nation. It’s a warm welcome to do battle, then we’ll see you in the pub after.”
He was right. Chatter at the bar post-match was all about the chance to play at Kurdistan 2024 and the logistics of such an undertaking. The whys and wherefores are to follow, although Heaton’s idea of gig rowing his way to the middle eastern region may need to be rethought.
Joking aside, the all important thing is that Cornwall is in the conversation, a global conversation and interest in their football team is growing hand-in-hand with a new wave of opportunity in terms of heritage, culture and tourism it brings with it.
“We have undeniably, unquestionably proven how important it is for Cornwall to have an international football team,” concluded a defiant Heaton. “It is absolutely undisputable.”
📸 IN PICTURES: Kernow FA 2-1 FA Sapmi
By Colin Bradbury
Check out a selection of our photos from Kernow FA’s victory over FA Sapmi on Sunday afternoon.
〓〓 Goalscorer Gilbert relishes chance to pull on Kernow jersey again
By Tom Howe
Max Gilbert expressed his ‘gratitude’ at the opportunity to represent Kernow Football Alliance with another goalscoring display in Sunday’s 2-1 win over FA Sapmi.
The Liskeard Athletic midfielder, 23, followed a hat-trick in the team’s last outing with a strike that broke the deadlock in front of nearly 400 spectators at Falmouth Town’s Bickland Park as the Cornish booked their place at the 2024 CONIFA World Football Cup in Kurdistan.
His goals contributed heavily to Kernow lifting the Prost Soccer Challenge Cup in May 2021 and the former Mousehole and Bodmin Town ace was delighted to make a similar impact on the team’s return to the pitch after more than two years away.
His Blues team-mate, Dan Jennings, scored from the spot on the other side of the half-time break to double the home side’s advantage, one that came under threat when Tor-Martin Mienna picked up on James Ward’s miscued back pass to beat Ollie Chenoweth late on.
“I thought that the game was a very competitive one,” Gilbert said in discussion with Cornwall Sports Media. “In the past we have played teams and battered them but Sapmi were well drilled and had something about them. We matched them, managed to get two good chances and took them both.
“Then, luckily, we held out well at the end. I thought that I played well myself but that comes from a good team performance. We were fantastic all over the field and managed to combine really well, even though most of us had played the day before too.
“I am not going to lie, my goal had a lot of luck to it. The deflection certainly helped but they all count. Representing Kernow is unique. It is a lot different to club football and I find that it is good to play with a top bunch of lads, within a slightly more professional environment.
“The spirit in the team is class and that comes from a top management team. Full credit to Sapmi. Like I said, they were well drilled and played really nice football but, fortunately, couldn’t break us down.”
Gilbert may have experienced these particular highs with Cornwall’s international representative football team but he has also been there for lows, having featured in Kernow squads disappointed by tournament cancellations in recent years.
Since their formation in late 2018 and despite having qualified, Kernow have as yet been unable to ply their trade in either CONIFA’s prestigious World or European Football Cups, with the global outbreak of covid-19 having had a major impact on the cause.
However, earlier this year, the governing body’s executive committee opted to award the Kurdistan Football Association hosting rights for the World Football Cup of 2024, with 16 national teams to represent ethnicities, indigenous people and sportingly isolated regions.
“The last few tournaments being cancelled was obviously gutting for everyone, especially with how hard everyone works behind the scenes,” continued Gilbert.
“We can only keep our fingers crossed and hope it goes ahead next year. I don’t know much about [Kurdistan] itself but it will certainly be a challenge in that heat.”
Unsure what CONIFA is? Here’s a quick introduction…
❤ An ode to Kernow Football Alliance
Sunday’s historic victory for Kernow FA was watched by nearly 400 spectators at Falmouth Town’s Bickland Park.
One of those in attendance was Rob Lawrence, who penned this tribute to the Kernow team…
“I have watched five games of football this century. One for Falmouth Ladies whilst babysitting, two Truro City games, including the FA Vase final at Wembley, and two Kernow FA games. The first was against Cascadia in London. I travelled up just for that game with my kids and loved meeting the team.
“The second was Sunday’s game at Falmouth Town. I would not have missed it for all the pasties at Mary's. I had to bribe my kids and my wife though, as they can't stand football but I wouldn't have us miss it. None of us like football at all, in any way, but we all enjoyed the experience.
“Me and my boy love rugby and the wife and the daughter aren’t bothered about any sport but we sat with my Cornish friends, who also don't like football, at the Packet End and enjoyed both the camaraderie and the noise, even doing two very loud oggie, oggies, oggies.
“When Jason [Heaton - Kernow FA chairman] asked me if I enjoyed the game in London I was honest and said no. It bored me but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. To spend £30 on tickets is a lot of money for us, especially for a game that we don't follow but I didn't worry about paying because it was for a Kernow team on the world stage.
“Our love for Kernow transcends the game being played. I'm 46 and have known my nationality and Cornwall's status since I was a kid, despite massive and aggressive abuse. Kernow being on the world stage in the international arena is a dream come true for me.
“I'm so proud and happy about what the team has achieved. It makes me uber happy to see what level they have taken Kernow. It has given me so much more confidence and proof of our identity and I owe them a debt of gratitude for that.
“I don't care how, why, what or who puts us on the international stage but I will support them 101 per cent and do all that I can to promote them because of my deep, deep love for Kernow, all it represents and all the folk who are proud and honest enough to promote our nation.”
See you next week!
Follow us on Twitter: @sportscornwall
Follow us on Facebook: @cornwallsportsmedia
Follow us on Instagram: @cornwallsportsmedia
Visit our website: cornwallsportsmedia.co.uk
