Fleet’s Elvetham Heath Primary School will represent Aldershot Town FC in the Southern Regional Final of the National League Trust Under 11 Girls Cup, after overcoming six other local schools at Alderwood Senior School on Tuesday.
A fiercely-contested round-robin tournament saw Elvetham Heath win five of their six matches, scoring 25 goals in the process, and they will now compete against other National League Clubs on Wednesday 28 March at Sutton United’s Gander Green Lane.
The only match Elvetham Heath failed to win was a goalless draw against second-placed Velmead, who themselves managed four wins and two draws, and scored 19 goals, to finish two points off the top of the table.
Aldershot’s St Joseph’s Primary finished third on 10 points, with Frogmore, Wellington, and two teams from St Michael’s Primary also taking part in the tournament on Alderwood Senior School’s excellent 3G pitches.
The National League Trust Under 11s Cup is open to all National League clubs, with Northern and Southern finals in April followed by the national final, which will be played prior to the kick-off of the Promotion Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 13 May.
Alderwood’s PE Department provided several Young Sports Leaders to help referee and run the tournament, about which Shots Foundation Manager Mark Simmons said: “It was a fantastic day and we hope everybody had a great time. I must thank Alderwood School for their assistance and expertise, and all of the players, teachers and parents who gave their time and energy to make it such a success.
“The standard of football was exceptionally high and we are excited to have Elvetham Heath representing Aldershot Town in the Regional Final. The girls know they face an even tougher challenge later this month but we can all dream of reaching Wembley!”
The National League Trust is a charity that offers grant aid to National League clubs to support and develop their community projects, with over £5million distributed so far. This money comes from the Premier League and the Professional Footballers Association, who have committed to support the Trust until 2019. They each contribute to an annual donation of £1.2m. 59 National League clubs are currently running projects and receiving funding from the Trust.
The Shots Foundation, launched in July 2017, aims to use the power of sport and the brand of Aldershot Town FC to offer a range of health-related activities to charities, community groups and schools. It has already launched football projects for members of Rushmoor’s Nepalese community, local homeless people, and a Sunday morning coaching session for girls aged 5-11 at St Joseph’s Primary School. For further information on the Shots Foundation, email mark.simmons@shotsfoundation.org.
