Hosted by the Aston Villa Foundation, the tournament saw Collis Primary School win six matches before beating Swansea 1-0 in the final match. And the stunning victory proved all the more memorable by year 6 pupil Daniel Barlow scoring the winning goal within a minute of the final whistle.

On Monday 27 May, the school will aim for glory as they play Blackburn Rovers in the National Final at the iconic Wembley Stadium. The competition, which inspires children to be active and develop a strong sense of teamwork, discovered Watford footballer Will Hughes and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.

Liam Holloway, a year 6 pupil who took part in the match, said: “I am really happy that we are going to Wembley.  To know that I’ll be playing on a pitch that so many legends have played on is amazing for us all, let’s hope that we can become the next legends!”

The EFL Kids Cup comprises of a six-a-side competition for Under 11s, and culminates in three finals across the Sky Bet EFL Play-Off weekend in May. Recognised as one of the largest national football competitions, the Kids Cup involves more than 16,000 children, which culminates in exciting finals at Wembley Stadium in front of thousands of fans before a major national final.

James Loizos, Head of Sport at Collis Primary School, said: “With such a huge prize on offer, the EFL Kids Cup is always the competition that is given the most importance in the school’s football calendar at Collis.  After winning Brentford’s local tournament in January, we had the chance to take on the 11 representatives from the other Championship clubs from the South.  Aston Villa organised a terrific regional competition and we ended up realising our Wembley dream after overcoming a strong Swansea City team in the final.

“The fact that I’m a Cardiff City fan made it that little bit sweeter!  A huge thanks to the Trust’s Community Football Development Manager, Jamie Tompkins, who helped support and coach the boys throughout the day.  Hopefully we’ll lift the trophy for The Bees on the hallowed turf in May!”

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