Football match held in memory of murdered woman

Family and friends of a woman who was murdered six years ago came together to celebrate her life as a charity football match was played in her memory.

The annual event was held at Newcastle College in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, on Wednesday in tribute to former academy footballer Megan Newton, who died in 2019 at the age of 18.

The game featured current players from the college's Andy Griffin Football Academy, who took on Ms Newton's former teammates, while her family watched on.

As well as raising awareness of the impact of violence against women, the event also raised more than £1,500 for charity Our Space, which supports people with disabilities.

Lauren Phillips, who was a close friend of Ms Newton's, took part in the match and told BBC Radio Stoke they were "like sisters".

She spoke of how Ms Newton hated the rain but would be "buzzing" whenever the sun came out, earning her the nickname "summer time".

Of the match, she said: "It just means so much to me, to her family, to everyone – it means the world to me specifically. I just love seeing everybody back here.

"It's like being back and connected to a memory I have of Meg but in the present day. She's gone but her memory isn't, she's still very much here and you can tell by all the people who have turned up."

Sherry McCuw, who works at Newcastle College, coached Ms Newton and described her as a great football player.

"Meg was a lovely person off the pitch. On the pitch, she was like a bull in a china shop," she said.

"To know Meg off the pitch and to watch her on it was an absolute pleasure."

She added: "We want Meg to last in our memory."

The team made up of current academy members included players aged between 16 and 19, while the opposing side made up of Ms Newton's former teammates were aged about 24 to 25.

Current academy player Ruby, 17, said: "Some people don't get the chance to play for a cause like this so I'm glad we can."

Former Stoke City FC captain Andy Griffin, who set up the academy, said it was "very important" to keep holding the event in Ms Newton's memory.

"She was a very bubbly character – very well-liked, very well-respected – and you don't have to ask many people twice to come along," he added.

Ms Newton, who also coached a youth football team, was found dead in her flat in Stoke-on-Trent on 20 April 2019 after she was raped and murdered by Joseph Trevor.

He was handed a life sentence, with a minimum prison term of 21 years, after pleading guilty in February 2020.

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