Severn Sport Shield 2026 – Update
Good morning everyone, unfortunately I am sharing the news that the Severn Sport Shield 2026 has been postponed.
Earlier this week I was notified by Jody Bevan of Fairford Town that they may need to withdraw following a tough summer of personnel departures.
Following a conversation with Jody, he agreed to have one final conversation with the committee and the result was they would unfortunately be withdrawing from the competition.
Given that it is so close to pre-season it feels an almost impossible task to find a replacement at this stage and being honest, with work and other commitments I am in need of my holiday next week so worrying about the tournament is the last thing I wanted to be doing.
The first half of 2026 has been a tough one for me mentally and personally, but as always I try to not let that impact Severn Sport and my commitment to covering non-league and grassroots football in the area, but on this occasion I need the break.
So I have decided to pull the plug on this year’s Shield now to not leave the other sides in the lurch, yet give them time to make alternative friendly arrangements that week.
I would like to thank Jody and Fairford for initially stepping in at the last minute in the first place and hope they can rebound from the exodus to be competitive in the Hellenic Premier this season. I hate to see any club struggling at any level, not to mention those in our area and with the club being so well run off the pitch, I am sure that they will bounce back from this summer’s setback.
I would also like to thank everyone at Bishops Cleeve who had started preparing for the Shield, everyone at Cheltenham Saracens and Cinderford Town who had been involved in confirming their participation and apologise to them all profusely.
I have always been honest and transparent with everyone when it comes to Severn Sport and in all honesty, the Shield has become a bit of a burden since I started to run Severn Sport solo – so much so I had already spoken to those closest to me about potentially retiring the tournament in the not so distant future.
I hope everyone enjoys the next few weeks ahead of the start of pre-season as attentions turn towards the 2026/27 season.
