On Tuesday 16th August our Colchester United FITC Girls Development Centre U10, U12, U14 and U16 squads travelled to The Nest to take part in the annual Canary Cup hosted by Norwich CSF for their first set of fixtures for the 2022/23 season.
The Colchester United FITC Girls Development Centre teams all faced strong opposition in Brighton, Reading, Norwich and Haverhill in their respective group stage games.
U10s
Our U10s finished top of the group stages, after a morning of competitive football, having scored twenty goals and only conceding twice.
The U10s then faced hosts, Norwich, in the semi-final. After an excellent show from both teams, Colchester United U10s won 2-0 to see them through to the final, where they faced Reading. The final was a display of yet another fantastic game of football from both sides that even the Lionesses would have been proud of. A goal after a brilliant phase of play involving every player in the team (including the goalkeeper!), was the only thing to separate the two sides in the final.
A huge congratulation to our Colchester United FITC Girls Development Centre U10 squad for winning the Canary Cup 2022, but even more so for the outstanding sportsmanship, teamwork and effort on display throughout the entire day.
U12s
For a lot of our dual banded U11 and U12 squad, the Canary Cup was the first time they had played nine-a-side, and their first experience with the offside rule.
Our U12 squad showed high levels of resilience and determination throughout the group stage fixtures. Despite facing tough opposition in Reading, Brighton, Norwich and Haverhill, the team worked hard and did the club proud.
U14s
Similar to the U12 squad, for a lot of our dual banded U13 and U14 squad, the Canary Cup was their first experience in playing on a larger pitch, and in a 11 v 11 format.
After a very tight round of group stage fixtures, there was little between the high calibre of teams in the U14 category, but the Colchester United FITC U14 squad deservedly progressed into the semi-finals. Despite falling slightly short in the semi-final, the U14 squad bounced back in the third place play off after an excellent performance to finish third in the Canary Cup 2022.
U16’s
Our eldest team of the day, the Colchester United FITC U15 and U16 dual banded squad, faced yet another round of tough opposition in their respective group games. The top two teams in the group stage went straight into the final, as there was no knockout stage for the U16 category. The U16 group saw a lot of draws, with teams working hard to progress into the final. Our U16s battled to secure their spot in the final where they faced the hosts, Norwich.
Despite losing to Norwich 3-0 in the group stage, our U16s played some excellent football and pushed their opposition all the way to the end, conceding in the last minute to win the runners up trophy.
A huge congratulation to our Colchester United FITC Girls Development Centre U16 squad for winning runners up in the Canary Cup 2022!
Huge well done to all players involved, and thank you to Norwich for being brilliant hosts.
If you would like to become part of our Girls Development Centre or our Emerging Talent Centre, then get in contact at niamh.gamble@colchesterunited.net.
To book onto our upcoming trials click HERE.