Rochdale AFC Community Trust host Euro inspired Kicks Tournament for youngsters

The Euro dream may be over for England, but football fever came home to the Crown Oil Arena on Saturday 3 July with a Euro inspired Kicks Tournament.

38 young people formed eight teams at the local stadium and went head-to-head in a Euros-themed tournament as part of Rochdale AFC Community Trust’s Premier League Kicks programme.

Premier League Kicks is a programme funded by the Premier League and delivered by the trust across the borough, aiming to inspire children and young people to achieve their potential and improve their wellbeing, as well as working together to build stronger, safer and more inclusive communities. 

The Kicks session, which runs every Saturday 5pm – 7pm on the kick pitch at Crown Oil Arena, was turned into a fun and friendly tournament for children aged eight to 13, building on the excitement for England’s 8pm quarter final kick off.

The tournament saw the kids adopt quarter final teams: England, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belgium, and Switzerland who battled to win their age category.

Following six fantastic matches from each team, Switzerland came out on top in Group A, and Belgium in Group B.

 

 

Community coach, Emma Flynn said: “It was a really fun tournament, and really got everyone ready for the England game. You could feel the excitement throughout.

“As everyone was collecting their certificates and leaving, there was a real buzz as we were all going home to watch the match we’d all been waiting for.”

Health and inclusion co-ordinator, Charlotte Griffiths added: “It was a great evening. It was organised chaos, but that is what we love about Kicks. 

“We didn’t ask people to register teams beforehand as there would have been a risk of teams dropping out with players isolating, and forging new friendships is what the programme is all about, so it seemed like the perfect option just to try and match them up on the day. 

“We actually had fairly equally matched teams even with young people we hadn’t seen before, and we had some really close games.

 “It’s about more than just football – young people will make friends for life, connect with people they may never have crossed paths with, and take part in workshops and projects that will give them skills invaluable for the future.”

If you’d like to find out more about our Premier League Kicks programme, contact Health and Inclusion Coordinator Charlotte: charlotte.griffiths@rochdaleafc.co.uk