Fantastic Football Tournament For Primary Schools
The competition was both fierce and fun at Jubilee Park on Friday 20 October when seven local primary schools gathered for Premier Sport’s football tournament. The inaugural event invited boys between 7 and 11 to prove their kicking prowess against rival schools, all in pursuit of the champions’ trophies.
Supportive parents lined the sidelines to cheer for Henley boys from Trinity, Badgemore, Sacred Heart and Valley Road, as well as visitors from Juniper Hill, Goring and Whitchurch’s two teams. The tournament was organised by Premier Sport, who provide curricular, extra curricular and holiday programmes for children in the local area. Passionate about inspiring young people to get active, this is not the only contest of its kind that they have created; last Friday saw a similar football tournament for primary school girls. However, this was the first competition designed for young boys.
The teams showcased their excellent football skills, with matches so close that the final totals were within 4 points of each other! The final rankings saw Juniper Hill win the Upper Tier, with Whitchurch Gold and Goring tying for second place and Badgemore coming in at a well fought third. Meanwhile, in the Lower Tier, Sacred Heart came out victorious ahead of Trinity in second, and Valley Road and Whitchurch Orange in a joint third. Badgemore were also recognised for their exemplary attitude, awarded the accolade of ‘Most Sporting Team’. The winners were presented with their hard-earned trophies by Mayor’s Representative David Eggleton and Doug McArthur of Premier Sport. All players were commended for their fantastic achievements as they stood to receive a handshake and a certificate for the team.
Doug McArthur was thrilled with the event’s reception. “It was an amazing day, it was brilliant to see so many teams. The standard of football was really high,” he expressed. “Hopefully we can keep it going every year and this will be the first of many events in the area.” Doug and the team at Premier Sport were also keen to convey their gratitude to those who helped to realise the tournament. Instrumental in the planning process, Henley Leisure Centre (run by Better) and AFC Henley were both thanked for their assistance, lending the use of the football grounds and goal posts respectively. Colin Williams, community support manager for Better and a coach for AFC Henley, was happy to have been involved, commenting, “We’re always looking to increase the usage of the grounds.”
The previous week girls in Years 5 & 6 took part in a tournament also run by Premier Sport which saw 10 teams competing against each other. This was the third year the tournament had taken place and it is part of the national #ThisGirlCan initiative to get more girls playing football. Goring Primary School won the tournament with Trinity coming runners-up. Valley Road School were awarded the Most Sporting Team and Nancy Lloyd was presented with the award for the Fair Player of the day.
Congratulations to all players for their outstanding sporting achievements!
