by Andrew Tidswell
Elite Sports Academy MD and Holbeach Utd player/coach
Just under a week ago I hosted an annual School Games Tournament for footballers in years five and six across our primary schools in local areas.
During the morning, all schools competed and jostled for position to qualify for our gold section finals – which were to be scheduled for the afternoon’s play.
Two things stand out for me from the whole day. One of them was that it was great to see so many girls playing – and playing well.
Only five years ago, I would think that not many girls would be playing at all. Maybe the great success the English ladies had in the recent World Cup has left a legacy and encouraged the girls to get more involved.
The second thing that stood out for me was the overall quality of play. I already know lots of the children from our school projects – and that they play for teams outside of school hours.
It goes to show that the coaching, whether that be at Spalding United, Pinchbeck United, Holbeach United or even Young Dons, is also of a high standard and the kids are being taught the right ways. I see this as only a positive for our local football scene.
Unfortunately, it could only be one team who took the trophy home and which could celebrate being our 2015 champions – and that honour went to Pinchbeck East Primary School.
The final was a tense affair in which Spalding Parish Day School did themselves proud. With the score locked at 0-0, it went to the dreaded penalty shootout. Pinchbeck held their nerve to seal the win.
Two big thank yous must also be said. First of all to Pinchbeck United for allowing us to use their facilities for the day.
Secondly to Eddie Reeve and Reeves Tyres, who were kind enough to sponsor the event.
The sponsorship from Eddie enabled the schools to all compete in this tournament for free – which I feel is only fair for our next generation.
