Nottingham High School under-11 footballers heading to Wembley for cup finals

Nottingham High School boys have risen to the top of over 2,500 school football teams to play at Wembley Stadium this weekend, after winning the Northern Section of the Kids Cup tournament in Crewe. The under-11’s eight-a-side team are representing Notts County Football Club in the tournament.
The Year 6 boys secured their place in the national finals with a string of wins against their competitors and are now preparing to embark on the once-in-a-lifetime trip to the League 1 play-off final at Wembley this weekend, where they will take on the Southern Section winners who represent Leyton Orient.
Zehn Rana, Hari Bhatia, Samuel King, Rohan Acharaya, Oliver Brenchley, Yousef Abu Mraheel and Tom Picker worked together to form a strong team. Play highlights for the Nottingham team during the regional finals included a spectacular save by Tom Picker against Oldham, a fantastic goal scored by team captain, Samuel King, after he ran nearly the whole length of the pitch, taking on three members of the opposition as he went, and some incredible defensive skills, which were on display from Yousef Abu Mraheel and Rohan Acharya in their winning match against Preston.
Coach of the team and ICT teacher Mr Simpson, said,“We are incredibly proud of the boys for doing so well in the tournament and we can’t wait to see them take to the pitch at Wembley as it will be a fitting testament to the excellent skills and strong team spirit they have shown throughout the competition so far.”
The Kids Cup is an annual football tournament open to under-11s which coincides with the Girls Cup for under-13 girls. With 20,000 schoolchildren from over 2,500 schools taking part each year, the cups are a great opportunity to create and develop community links, both between the schools and with local football teams.