Andy McCann has just gotten back to his regular duties after a brief hiatus. By day, he is an assistant headteacher at Great Sankey High School in Warrington, and now that the summer break has ended, the academic calendar is in full swing. Yet, in just a few days he will be stepping away from the classroom for an eight‑day spell to take on a very different role – that of England manager, albeit in a modest, amateur context. McCann’s secondary footballing responsibility is his position as manager of the Cheshire League representative side, a squad assembled from the standout players competing in the Cheshire League Premier Division.
The team clinched the FA Inter‑League Cup by defeating the Herts Senior County League at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on May 9, a victory that earned them the right to wear the Three Lions in the UEFA Regions Cup. The Regions Cup is a continental competition for amateur representative teams, launched in 1996 and staged biennially since 1999, with the 2021 edition cancelled because of the pandemic. National associations either qualify their regional sides or nominate them directly, after which the teams are divided into eight groups for an intermediate stage.
The group winners progress to the final tournament. Historically, Spain have been the most successful nation with four titles, followed by Italy with three, Poland with two, and single‑victory winners including the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic. On Sunday, 6 September, McCann and his squad will fly to Sweden for a three‑match mini‑tournament that offers the chance to become the first English side ever to reach the Regions Cup finals. "During the Inter‑League Cup, the chairman Rob Goodwin‑Davey – who is also the Cheshire League chairman – kept telling me there was a possibility we could represent England, but I was solely focused on winning the cup," McCann told Sky Sports.
"After we secured the trophy, the lads in the pub started joking that once the World Cup was over, I’d be England manager!" He acknowledges the comparison is tongue‑in‑cheek, but also stresses the honour attached to the role. "It feels a bit like being an international manager, just at a much lower level. When we board the flight I’ll realise how special it is – we’re effectively England’s D‑team, and I’m proud of that," he said. The team will travel to Sweden fully kitted out in the official England strip – the same tracksuits, training shirts, shorts and socks worn by the senior national side.
"Just being able to pull on that shirt in a competitive match is massive for many of the lads," McCann noted. Unlike professional squads, every player on the Cheshire League team is an amateur with a day job. The roster includes names such as AJ Atherton, George Anthony, Callum Burgess, Matt Dixon, Niall Dolan, Amir Hajri, Harry Johnston, Tim Kinsella, Harrison Mather, Liam McDowell, Rob Payne, Rhys Peers, Ben Powell, Matt Saunders, Bailey Sherlock, Lee Simmons, Walker Stone and Arron Woodward. Captain Tim Kinsella works as an electrician, while vice‑captain Liam McDowell is a quantity surveyor.
Two squad members are qualified physical‑education teachers and several others are studying PGCEs to become teachers themselves. Because the players are unpaid amateurs, most will treat the eight‑day trip as a vacation, taking either normal or unpaid leave. "We haven’t had any travel issues, but it was a concern initially," McCann explained. He promised the squad that if they won the Inter‑League Cup, they would be the ones he would take to Sweden – a promise he has kept.
The only absentee is Juliano Rosa Silva, who featured in every minute of the cup run but is sidelined with injury and understandably disappointed. Scouting opponents at this level is a challenge. "We have an FA‑registered coach whose primary job during the tournament will be to observe the other teams," McCann said. "For the first game we’ll rely on what got us to King Power, but by the second and third fixtures we’ll have gathered more intelligence and can adjust our tactics accordingly." McCann believes his side possesses a unique blend of technical skill, power and pace.
"We could have selected more technically gifted players, but we chose a group that matches our strengths," he explained, hinting at a balanced approach rather than pure flair. Their group in Sweden includes representative teams from Finland (Jarvenpää United), Portugal (Algarve) and Sweden (Gothenburg).
Out of the 34 entrants, the Finnish side is ranked 11th, the Portuguese 7th, the Swedish 30th, while Cheshire League sits at 17th – a respectable mid‑table position. Preparation for the Swedish adventure has been as professional as possible given the amateur status of the players.
"We have the entire eight‑day itinerary mapped out to the hour – rest, recovery, meals, training aligned with match times. If you’re going to do it, you do it properly," McCann emphasized. He also arranged for three members of the Mid‑Cheshire team that won the Inter‑League Cup in 2004 to give a motivational talk after the final training session, drawing on their experience to fine‑tune the squad’s mindset.
The ultimate goal is not merely to enjoy the novelty of being "England" for a week; the ambition is to win all three games, secure a place in the Regions Cup finals and raise the profile of amateur football for future generations. "We want to prove that an amateur side can compete on an international stage and inspire the next wave of players," McCann concluded.
After the Swedish stint, McCann will return to his school duties at dawn, ready to resume teaching the next generation – perhaps now with a few extra stories of representing England under the bright lights of a European tournament.