Easington Colliery to represent Sunderland AFC on the road to Wembley
Easington Colliery Primary School are one step closer to Wembley Stadium after winning the Sunderland AFC club final of the EFL Kids Cup.
The youngsters lifted the trophy after overcoming Toner Avenue in the final of the Foundation of Light hosted six-a-side tournament yesterday (Wednesday 17th January) which saw over 30 primary school teams battle it out at Silksworth Sports Complex for the chance to represent the Black Cats.
Easington Colliery will now travel to Leeds United’s Elland Road in March where they will face under 11 sides from the other northern-based Championship clubs in the regional qualifiers with the victors earning the chance face the winners of the southern section at Wembley in front of thousands of fans before the EFL SkyBet Play-Off Final in May.
“We’re buzzing after winning the tournament and looking forward to a really good trip to Leeds United,” said the team. “We’re very excited. Leeds are a big Championship club and it will be good to play there [at Elland Road].
“We’re confident and we think we’ve got a good chance of getting to Wembley.”
The EFL Kids Cup is supported by the EFL Trust and involves thousands of schoolchildren each year making it one of the country’s largest national football competitions.
The SAFC club final was organised by Foundation of Light as part of the charity’s school sports provision which is delivered in hundreds of schools and academies across the North East, improving access and participation to football and sport.
Helen Byrne, the Foundation’s Premier League Primary Stars Events Coordinator, added: “Today’s tournament has been a great opportunity for the kids to take part, especially for the winning team to go on and play at an amazing ground like Elland Road.
“The main aim today was to get as many kids as possible playing. We had over 240 youngsters from over 30 schools which was fantastic to see.
“It’s good to bring schools from Sunderland, South Tyneside, Washington and County Durham together and to give them opportunities to take part in a competition of this magnitude.
“We have numerous tournaments running throughout the year aimed at different age groups for boys and girls so there are plenty of chances to take part in different sports.”
For more information about Foundation of Light’s school sports, health and education programmes and how they can enhance your curriculum and inspire learning, email [email protected] or call 0191 5515318.
