Ciren to host national school tournament (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Ciren to host national school tournament

CIRENCESTER Town Football Club will follow in the boot-prints of giant soccer clubs Middlesbrough, Southampton and Aston Villa by hosting the latest round of a prestigious national schools tournament.

The South West Regional Final of the Coca-Cola English Schools Cup, Europe's biggest 11-a-side schools' football tournament, will be played at the non-league club's Corinium Stadium on Thursday, May 4.

No local teams have qualified for the two-match event, comprising a boys' final and girls' final, which will not be open to the public.

School teams from across the SW entered what is one of the tournament's four regional competitions.

Teams progressed through two rounds and a semi-final to reach the final, the winners of which will receive the Coca-Cola SW Schools' Cup and a place in the national semi-finals at Reading's Madejski Stadium.

The victorious semi-finalists will reach the national final at Coventry City's Ricoh Arena.

The tournament has been entered by more than 2,600 teams - comprising 40,000 12-13-year-old students - since Coca-Cola launched it four years ago, with the aim of promoting grass-roots football.

West Ham United and ex-England striker, Teddy Sheringham, supports the tournament.

He said: "Youth football - be it for boys or girls - is so important. "The one thing I can tell youngsters is to keep going and believe in yourself - have faith in your own ability."

Caroline Carter, Cirencester's football secretary, said Coca-Cola asked Town to host the regional final because the club has the necessary facilities.

She said: "We ticked all the boxes. It's wonderful for us."