16 PL Kicks participants got the opportunity to represent Colchester United in Norwich.
On Monday 3rd April 2023, during the first day of the Easter Holidays, 16 PL Kicks participants were given an amazing opportunity to represent Colchester United at the regional qualifiers for the U16 Premier League Kicks cup. This gave the young people the chance to play competitive matches against other representative sides from Norwich City, Luton Town, Stevenage, Peterborough United, MK Dons and Cambridge United.
Alongside the competitive football matches, the participants also completed a couple of different workshops. The first workshop was ran by Norfolk Wildlife Trust, this saw the participants create bird-feeders using pinecones, which they all took home. The second workshop was with the British Red Cross, in this one the group listened to a first aid talk which helped them to pick up crucial tips that could help save a life.
The Premier League Charitable fund also brought the official Premier League trophy to Norfolk, which the participants were allowed to have their photos taken with. They also all received a Nike hoodie and an official Premier League standard match ball. We want to thank the Premier League for their generosity, which left participants feeling inspired.
Both the mixed and girls sides did incredibly well, as they both reached the semi-finals before losing to Stevenage and MK Dons respectively. The mixed side showed incredible sportsmanship, as Stevenage only had 5 players, in what was meant to be a 6 aside match but the players agreed to play them in a 5 aside game, even though it was in the semi-final stage where they were desperate to win. We are hugely proud of the players for this.
It was not just the mixed team that showed great sportsmanship, as the girls team were awarded with the U16 Premier League Kicks Cup Fair Play trophy, for their outstanding attitude throughout the tournament, which embodied what the PL Kicks programme is all about. Well done girls.
If you want to sign-up for PL Kicks or want to learn more about the programme, please visit: https://www.cu-fc.com/cucf/our-programmes/inclusion/premier-league-kicks/