It’s the event that many of us have been waiting for. The National League Trust’s Under 11s Cup Finals takes place this Sunday at Wembley Stadium ahead of the National League Promotion Final between Bromley and Solihull Moors. A competition for school teams, this the sixth time it’s been played.
It’s been a competitive and exciting journey for everyone who has taken part in the competition this year. In the autumn term 50 National League clubs held their own tournaments with local primary schools competing to be their representatives in either the Mixed/Boys or Girls category. Over 1,000 schools took part in those events at clubs from Darlington to Tonbridge and Weymouth to Kings Lynn.
The teams then played in eight regional tournaments across the country, with the winners and runners up in each one going through to the next stage.
The teams then went on to represent their clubs in the North and South finals. Held at Slough Town FC, the South Final. The Mixed Final saw Aldershot beat Eastbourne. The Girls Final Slough Town beat Southend United.
The North Finals were hosted by the Chesterfield Community Foundation at Staveley Miners Welfare FC. AFC Fylde beat Scarborough Athletic. The Mixed North Final saw Oldham taking on FC Halifax Town. Oldham won the close tie.
Sundays games will be :
Kick-off 1.00pm: AFC Fylde v Slough Town (girls)
and
Kick off 1.15pm: Aldershot v Oldham (mixed/boys)
AFC Fylde is represented by Heyhouses Endowed Church of England Primary School is the oldest school in St Annes-on-Sea on the Lancashire coast. It has grown into a large three form entry primary school on a split site. The school is proud of its history and reputation for an ‘all-round’ education. The children enjoy sport, drama, and music as well as the more academic subjects. A Heyhouses education emphasises team spirit, service to others and hard work. Christian values underpin everything we do and when the children move on to secondary school, we hope they are equipped for life in the modern world; resilient, good friends and aiming high.
We are so proud of our Girls’ Football Team. They have firm Heyhouses values and have excelled in their chosen sport. They are inspiring so many other children and we all wish them every success. Their story has also inspired the local community of which Heyhouses is the heart.
The girls reached the final of the Lancashire Schools Cup unfortunately losing on penalties.
Sport in Primary school is a vital part of a child’s education. It has the potential to inspire all children, not just those who are individually gifted, but all children. The qualities of teamwork, resilience, dedication, and perseverance combine so often to create unique opportunities to excel. Success in sport, at whatever level, is motivational and improves emotional health and well-being. The Girl’s Football Team reaching the Final has encouraged everyone, particularly the girls. Girls’ Football has risen to prominence in primary schools only in the last few years so a final at Wembley is truly inspirational.
Mrs Hodgson Headteacher Heyhouses Primary School
The girls have been everything that a team should epitomize. They have formed close bonds and have supported each other relentlessly throughout. Even after an agonising penalty shootout loss in the Lancashire cup final they came together to win the penalty shootout to go to Wembley. As their coach I am incredibly proud of what they have achieved together, and the example they have set for others to follow.
Lynch Hill is a large, diverse, successful primary school serving families predominantly from the Britwell estate and surrounding areas of Slough. We currently have 921 pupils from nursery through to Year 6.
At Lynch Hill, we believe that the school experience is not just about what we do between 8:30am and 3.15pm; we are committed to children acquiring the skills to go into the wider world – to widening their horizons and to showing them that they can be whatever they want to be, and that no limits should ever be put on what can be achieved. We want children to aspire and succeed. Extended learning at Lynch Hill has a very high profile, with sport at the very heart of that, and all of our staff support the vision that school is not simply about performance in core subjects but about helping to provide children with the opportunities to shine in other areas, build self-esteem and confidence and become well-rounded individuals. By offering so many extended learning opportunities, our children get the chance to succeed in different areas; they can then take this success and use it to help overcome barriers in any areas of learning that they perhaps find more challenging.
This team has also reached the final of the Slough School League which was played on Friday 26th April.
This is a really wonderful achievement for our girls. At Lynch Hill, our strapline is ‘Aim high, work hard and care deeply’ and this sums this team up perfectly. They truly believe that anything is possible, they take nothing for granted and work tirelessly to secure their levels of success. Not only that, but they unite as a team, caring about and encouraging one another so that they have the confidence to stand strong whatever the challenge. Successfully making it to the finals, and to be able to play at Wembley, is phenomenal and acts as such a powerful message to all of our pupils. Sport has a very high profile at our school and our PE staff are always looking to widen the impact further and to encouraging greater numbers to find a sport that can become a passion. It is vitally important that girls believe that sport can be for them to and this level of success speaks volumes. As holders of the platinum School Games mark, we are committed to the pledges regarding tackling inequalities and increasing participation. We will continue to provide as many opportunities for our children to enjoy and learn through competition and to achieve their personal best. I wish both teams all the very best for Sunday 5th May. Enjoy every moment of playing at Wembley and know that we are so incredibly proud of your achievements. Keep reaching for the stars! (Lindsey Tomlinson, Headteacher)
Aldershot is represented by South Farnham School is a 4-form entry school in Farnham, Surrey on the outskirts of Guildford. The school works with local sports clubs to enhance the sporting opportunities for members of their school. Currently the school offers over 100 competitive sporting events throughout the course of the year with football and netball being the main sporting activities. All members of the school can participate in competitive events outside of school with the high level of matches on offer. This allows for the competitive edge being available to all pupils and encourages them to participate in matches. This then allows for competition for places within teams and keeps the pupils striving towards success. We have seen a higher success rate in competitions since offering more opportunities to the children and can really understand who the more competitive players are within the school. For those children who don’t enjoy competition we set up numerous events which are aimed to aspire and will continuously talk about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and how exercise and sport is important.
“We are so proud of the achievements of the children over the past year. Not only have they been incredibly successful, but they have also shown incredible sportsmanship and teamwork. To have the opportunity to play at Wembley will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we can’t wait to celebrate their continued success!”
St Herbert’s RC Primary School sits within the heart of Chadderton in Oldham. We are a Catholic school and aspire to find the gift in every child which makes them unique. Our Christian values underpin all that we do in developing our children’s journey in faith, attitudes and behaviours. We want our children to become the person they were created to be and to lead a purposeful existence. At St. Herbert’s, we do not just study our faith, we live it.
“The children have represented the school and Oldham Athletic incredibly well. The chance to play at Wembley is a dream that most professional footballers never achieve – never mind 11-year-olds. To think that our children have grasped such an opportunity at such a young age is fantastic. We have lots of people watching the children today and even more at home, hoping for a win” – Mrs S Milligan (Headteacher)
Referee
Nieve Naughton has been appointed by the Middlesex FA.
After the final whistle blows, all four teams will make their way to the Royal Box to collect their trophies for winning the competition and as runners-up.
Good luck to the four teams taking part and congratulations for reaching the Finals.
You can follow us on Twitter at @TheNLTrust for live updates on the matches. Please Tweet us your Good Luck messages to the teams and we will make sure to retweet them.
