Later today a Junior Schools Final will be held at Goodison Park . I was made aware of one of the sides competing last week and felt it was a tale worthy of telling .

Valewood is a small school in Crosby Merseyside . It has an intake of just 30 kids per year 15 boys 15 girls . The School is known – if for anything then it was Drama and Dance but certainly not Sport . Then 3 years ago Site Manager Micheal Hutson whom had managed a Junior Side for a decade and a Young Teacher Mr. Burns decided to start a School Team .

The League System for Schools is Year 6 so trials were held for Years 4-6 . They found that most of the Players were Year 4-5’s so decided to build around them and Coach them well . In their first year the Year 6 Side – full of Year 4 and 5’s won the League for the inaugural time lost only one game en route and were narrowly defeated in the final of the Scott Cup . The Year 5’s won their only competition the Fay Cup and Year 4’s won the Everton Chesterfield Tournament , the Everton Finch Farm Tournament and were beaten on Penalties in the Goodison Schools Tournament . Like Mike notes , “ Not a bad first Season … “

Last year with only 2 Year 6 Players in the Year 6 Side and once again won not only their League but also added the Edmund Rice Cup . The Year 5’s retained the Fay Cup . This campaign has , well again I shall quote Micheal Hutson … “ Our Year 4’s have now matured into Year 6’s and are no longer smaller than their opponents . The Football we have played has been incredible and as a Coach it has been a joy to watch . At the time of writing we have already won 8 Titles this Season and are about to enter a hectic schedule of 3 Finals in 6 days for a potential haul of 11 in one campaign . Here is what we have won since September …

Peter Dowd Tournament .
Everton Chesterfield Tournament .
Peter Dowd Cup Final .
Everton Finch Farm Tournament .
Edmund Rice Cup .
Liverpool F.C. Academy Tournament .
Merseyside Regional Liverpool Cup .
Crosby & Bootle District League ( 10 wins from 10 games ) .

We have also reached the Goodison Park E.F.C. Final ( Today ; they lost 2-0 ) , the Scott Cup Final Thursday 8th May and Liverpool Cup at Anfield on Monday May 12th . Surprisingly they have only one Academy Player – Joseph Williams who is signed for Liverpool F.C. and of whom big things are expected . However they are patently a Team and not a Star Vehicle . Moreover the Girls Football Side after 3 years now have 5 Girls with local Team Crosby Stuarts and 2 representing Sefton Girls . I understand that John Rourke Chair of the Crosby District Schools League contacted Micheal to advise that he contact the Media as Mr. Rourke believed Valewood’s feat to be unique given the lack of Tournaments in the past .

Again to quote Micheal once more , “ One thing is for certain these groups of Kids have certainly put Valewwod School Crosby F.C. on the local Footballing Map . “ Indeed . So say Myself and THT . Furthermore footyscene.com in conjunction with Sir Neville Southall are great respectors of Grass Roots Football per se and Merseyside Junior Amateur Football specifically . I have loved writing this Piece .

Buono Fortuna in the other 2 Finals .

#OneLove

LCAB

#PeaceOut