Under 11s town’s first into final
HISTORY was made last week at the Academy of Light, Sunderland as Macclesfield & District FA Schools U11 football team sponsored by the Chrome Motor Group reached the National Finals of the ESFA Danone Nations Cup.
Resounding victories for Macclesfield over Middlesbrough, East Northumberland and Preston ensured the Cheshire champions safe passage through to the knockout stages of the Northern Finals as group winners with a game to spare, whilst also beating off last year’s national champions Leeds to clinch top spot in Group 2.
Macclesfield’s thrilling 3-1 semi-final win against Sunderland means the journey continues for this talented group of youngsters, through to the last eight in England, Macclesfield now compete at the National Finals. Victory here would see them crowned national champions and the winners would also be invited to represent England at the Danone World Final in Paris later this year.
The English leg of the world’s biggest football tournament for 10-11 year old’s, the Danone Nations Cup will be holding this year’s National finals at Leicester City Football Club’s King Power Stadium.
Former Tottenham, Liverpool and England center back John Scales, ambassador of the tournament said: “The mantra of the Danone Nations Cup is ‘believe in your dreams’, how fitting it will be to see the final at the Foxes ground where the team in pole position in the Premier League are currently doing just that, believing in their dreams.
Cheshire and Macclesfield Schools FA secretary John Clark said: “To reach the finals of the ESFA Danone U11 inter-association Trophy is a tremendous achievement especially given that we are a small association.
“The players and team management should be congratulated on their success which has been thoroughly deserved.
“This is the first time that a district team from our area has reached the final stages of a national competition and I’m sure that anyone with an interest in local schools football will wish the team every success at Leicester on 22 May.”