Girls football teams celebrate league wins with open top bus parade

Chester-Le-Street United Girls celebrated their league wins last night with a surprise trophy parade on an open top bus provided by Go North East.

The club’s two under-eights girls teams were told they were playing a friendly. Instead, their coach surprised them with their own open top bus and the chance to follow in the steps of Newcastle United by parading their silverware through Newcastle.

Both of the club’s under-eights girls teams have finished at the top of their league tables, clocking up an impressive 40 wins and 296 goals between them.

Francesca Tannahill, a midfielder aged seven, says: “My favourite moments this season were scoring lots of goals and when we won against Darlington because I like hard matches. I like seeing my friends and my coach every week, it’s the best!”

Team coach Glenn Batey says: "The teams have had fantastic seasons, they haven’t lost a single match! I thought their hard work deserved a huge celebration. The parade tonight exceeded all our expectations, it was a surreal experience!”

The bus, usually used for the Toon Tour, Go North East’s open top sightseeing service, took the girls, their parents and coaches to iconic locations including James’ Park and the Quayside to show off their medals and trophies. Some of the parade was broadcast live on ITV Tyne Tees, just like Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup celebrations.

Alison Tannahill, mum to Francesca, says: “I think getting the open top bus is such a lovely touch. Not every coach would go out their way to make sure his players were able to have such a memorable moment - they will treasure this memory forever!”

Julie Richardson, from Go North East, had the honour of driving the bus. She said: “It was a pleasure to drive the teams tonight. I loved seeing the positive reaction of the people we passed on the bus – everyone was waving, cheering and tooting their horns.”

Go North East’s Toon Tour runs from 3 May until 28 September 2025 and visits Newcastle’s most iconic sights. Find out more about the timetable, ticket prices and private hire of the open top bus on the Go North East website.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Images

Photographer: Mark Savage

Additional images are available to download from My News Desk or this WeTransfer link - https://we.tl/t-LUgm09eTZ

About Chester-Le-Street United Girls

Chester-Le Street United Blacks were crowned champions of League One of the Russel Foster Youth League. Chester-Le Street United Golds finished first in the Russel Foster Youth League Premier League.

Thier open top bus parade took place on the evening of 12 May, starting at the Metrocentre before passing St James’ Park, travelling through the city centre and crossing the Swing Bridge for a photo opportunity next to the Millenium Bridge.

About Go North East

Go North East runs a network of bus routes across the North East region including Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, and surrounding areas.

The Go-Ahead Group is one of the UK’s leading providers of public transport, enabling more than a billion passenger journeys each year on its bus and rail services. Go-Ahead places great importance on partnership, adopting a collaborative approach with governments, local communities and strategic partners; developing and operating services that create long-term value for all.

For more information about Go-Ahead Group visit www.go-ahead.com.