The EFL Kids Cup is a national tournament for junior footballers which offers children the once in a lifetime opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium.

The Cup involves over 16,000 children and creates one of the country’s largest national football competitions, which culminates in exciting finals at Wembley Stadium in front of thousands of fans before a major national final, as schoolchildren live out their dream.

The competition which inspires children to be active, healthy, and develop a strong sense of teamwork, discovered Watford footballer Will Hughes and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay, while David Beckham’s former school Chase Lane Primary walked away as 2013/14 Kids Cup League 1 winners, representing Leyton Orient.

The EFL Kids Cup comprises of a six-a-side competition for U11 schoolchildren and culminates in three finals across the Sky Bet EFL Play-Off weekend in May.

The road to the finals starts when the new school term starts. Each EFL club organises a Kids Cup local competition for all local schools wishing to take part.

The 72 clubs are first split into 3 divisions, in line with club’s divisional status, before being again split into two groups, north and south. The winners of the divisional northern and southern finals will then qualify for the chance to play before the Sky Bet EFL Play-Off Final of the relevant division.

Many clubs play the final of their local competition at their home stadium before a first team game. The winners of that competition then go on to represent the club in the Area, Regional and National phases of the competition, where they will face schools representing other League clubs.

For more detail on how to take part contact your local football club’s community trust