Students from West Thames College have reached the Community Education Football Alliance (CEFA) League Regional Cup Final, which will take place at 11am on Friday 10 May at Griffin Park. The national league, which is run by the EFL, offers young players in a post-16 education pathway the opportunity to play in a highly competitive league amongst other club representative teams.

Brentford secured a place in the final by beating Norwich City in a penalty shootout. The Bees scored all five penalties to win 5-4 after a 2-2 draw in 90 minutes. Brentford had progressed to the last four after beating Peterborough United, Colchester United and Portsmouth.

Kevin Lema, Under 19s Coach for Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, said: “Our boys were extremely confident after beating Norwich City in a league game and having an unbeaten run of six games. After conceding two goals, we changed formation and after constantly pressing we brought it back to 2-2 with ten minutes left of the game.”

The players take part in our football and education programme, which enables students to study for a BTEC Level 3 sports diploma while enhancing their football skills. Along with a host of experienced coaches, former Brentford Player, Ryan Peters, coaches the students and mentors them on a career path in the sporting world.

So far, ten students have signed professional contracts with teams such as Leeds United, AFC Bournemouth, Stevenage and Brentford. Other students have signed semi-professional with clubs such as Maidenhead, CB Hounslow, Hendon or even embarked on 100 per cent scholarships in America.

Show your support for our BTEC students and join them at 11am on Friday at Griffin Park for their final – entry is free. For more information about the Regional Cup Final, contact Kevin at [email protected] or on 020 8326 7030.