The first Step 7 Inter League Representative fixtureof the season takes place on Saturday 7th February at Dorchester Town.

The Thames Valley Premier League squad will travel to face a Dorset League side with Football in Berkshire’s men’s Manager of the Season Devonn Reid in charge, assisted by Newbury Town’s Carl Jenner.

Reid, by day, is manager of treble-winning Westwood Wanderers and has selected seven players from his club in the squad of 16 with representatives from Burghfield, Tadley Calleva, Reading YMCA, Newbury Town, Henley Town and Reading City.

Reid’s TVPL side are at the start of the latest cycle of the UEFA Regions Cup and could, if they are the last team standing in the FA Inter-League Cup, represent England against other UEFA member sides in 26/27.

Thames Valley Premier League Squad: Steven Fairchild, Harrison Luffrum, Jack Clift, Jamie Porter, Jason Badger, Zak Barnett, Rocco Sofroniou (Westwood Wanderers), Lors Nicholas, Tiago Moreno (Tadley Calleva Reserves), Jack North (Newbury Town), Ellis Skeete (Reading YMCA), James Griffiths (Henley Town), Reiss Baker, Louis Eade (Reading City Reserves), Sam Tucker, Ollie Brown (Burghfield).

TVPL squad management team: Devonn Reid, Carl Jenner, Louis King (Coach – Reading City), Matt Brown (Physio – Burghfield)

FA Inter-League Cup First Round Fixtures

• Liverpool County Premier League vs Manchester Football League
• Thames Valley Premier League vs Dorset Premier League
• Cheshire Football League vs Yorkshire Amateur League
• Essex & Suffolk Border League vs Southern Amateur League

What is the FA Inter-League Cup, ditto the UEFA Regions Cup?

The FA Inter-League Cup is a football competition run by The Football Association. It was created in the 2003/04 season to provide an English representative in the UEFA Regions’ Cup. Both competitions are held on alternate years.

14 leagues have entered the 2026 competition including Cheshire Football League: Dorset Premier Football League, Essex & Suffolk Border Football League, West Cheshire Amateur Football League, Herts Senior County Football League, Kent County Football League, Liverpool Premier Football League, Southern Amateur Football League, Thames Valley Premier Football League, The Arthurian Football League*, The Manchester Football League, West Yorkshire Association Football League*, York Football League, Yorkshire Amateur Football League.

*As 2023/24 finalists, these two leagues are exempt until the Second Round of the competition.

The UEFA Regions Cup is a competition that brings together amateur teams from UEFA member nations for a biennial competition since 1999.

Last season’s representatives in the UEFA Regions Cup were the Arthurian League (a competition for clubs comprising old boys of public schools and not part of the football pyramid). They played three matches in Group 2 which was based in Finland and finished second behind host side Länsi-Vantaan Ylpeys in a group that comprised representatives from Portugal and Latvia. Only the group winners moved on to the final tournament hosted in San Marino. The eventual winners were Spanish side Aragon from Zaragoza.

The TVPL represenative side has never reached the final since the tournament started in 2003, while an FA representative side has never won the UEFA Regions Cup.