Andy McCann has only just gotten back to his regular duties. By day he serves as an assistant headteacher at Great Sankey High School in Warrington, and with the summer break now behind him the new school term is in full swing. Yet, in a few days he will be stepping away from the classroom for eight days to take on a very different role – that of England manager, albeit in a modest, amateur context.
McCann also holds the position of manager for the Cheshire League representative side, a squad assembled from the standout players of the Cheshire League Premier Division. His team clinched the FA Inter‑League Cup by defeating the Herts Senior County League at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on 9 May, a victory that secured them the right to represent England at the UEFA Regions Cup.
What exactly is the Regions Cup? It is a competition for amateur representative teams that was launched in 1996 and, apart from a Covid‑related cancellation in 2021, has been staged every two years since 1999. Nations either qualify directly or receive a nomination, after which the intermediate stage divides the entrants into eight groups. The eight group winners then advance to the final tournament.
Historically, Spain have dominated with four titles, Italy have three, Poland two, while the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic have each lifted the trophy once. On Sunday 6 September, McCann and his squad will fly to Sweden to play three matches, hoping 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 chairman of the Cheshire League – kept mentioning the possibility of us representing England, but I was solely focused on winning the cup," McCann told Sky Sports. "When we finally lifted the trophy, the lads in the pub started joking that once the World Cup is over I’d be England manager!" He adds that while the comparison to the senior national team is tongue‑in‑cheek, the experience feels akin to being an international manager, just on a far smaller scale.
"It will hit me when we board the plane, but it is a genuine honour to be England manager for a week, at whatever level. We have decided we are England’s D team, and we will wear that badge with pride," he said.
The team will not just carry the name England – they will be fully kit‑clad in the official England strip. "When we get to the airport we receive the full England kit – the same tracksuits, training shirts, shorts and socks that you saw at the World Cup.
The boys are buzzing just to pull that shirt on for a competitive match," McCann explained. Unlike professional sides, the Cheshire League squad consists entirely of amateurs who balance football with full‑time jobs. The roster includes 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 members are qualified physical‑education teachers and several others are pursuing PGCEs to become teachers. Some players will need to take unpaid leave for the trip, but most are using their standard holiday entitlement to enjoy the eight‑day adventure, McCann says. "We have not faced any travel‑related problems, though it was a concern initially.
To motivate the squad I promised that if we won the Inter‑League Cup, they would be the ones I would take to Sweden – and I have kept that promise," he noted. The only absentee is Juliano Rosa Silva, who featured in every minute of the cup run but is sidelined with injury and is understandably devastated to miss the Sweden leg.
Scouting opponents at this level is a challenge. "For the first match we have an FA‑registered coach whose main job will be to observe the other teams, so while we play on Monday he will be watching the other two sides," McCann explained. "By the second and third games we will have gathered far more information, and we will be better prepared.
Our focus for the opening game is to replicate the qualities that got us to King Power and helped us win the Inter‑League Cup." McCann believes his selection criteria have produced a unique blend of talent. "We could have chosen a more technically inclined group, but we opted for a side that matches our strengths – a combination of power and pace," he said.
The Cheshire League will face representative squads from Finland (Jarvenpää United), Portugal (Algarve) and Sweden (Gothenburg). In the overall ranking of the 34 teams entered, Finland sit 11th, Portugal 7th, Sweden 30th, while the Cheshire League is placed 17th.
Even though they are amateurs, the preparation has been as professional as possible. "We have a detailed eight‑day schedule down to the hour – rest, recovery, meals, training aligned with match times. If you are going to do something, you give it your best," McCann asserted.
He also arranged for three members of the Mid‑Cheshire side that won the Inter‑League Cup in 2004 to give a talk after the final training session, drawing lessons from their experience. McCann’s ambition goes beyond simply enjoying a week as "England". "Our primary aim is to win all three matches and reach the finals, but we also see this as an opportunity to raise the profile of amateur football for the next generation.
It is massive for the game at grassroots level," he said. After the Sweden trip, McCann will be back at the crack of dawn, back in the school corridors, guiding the next generation of pupils – perhaps now with the added distinction of having been England’s amateur manager for a week, a title that will certainly make for an interesting story in the staffroom.