The teams competing in the National Final will appear here once the results of the
National Play-Off have been confirmed.

This year’s final takes place on Tuesday 19 May at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster. In what promises to be an exciting line up of matches, South Holderness Technology College from Hull will be pitched against Haberdashers Askes Knights Academy from Kent in the girls final. Hertfordshire’s Queens School will take on Nottingham’s West Bridgford School in the boys final.

The calibre of the players at the final is extremely high. Two of the South Holderness team train at the Hull Centre of Excellence while their coach plays for Hull City Ladies. Several members of the West Bridgford team play with professional clubs and their coach, Tim Preston played as a junior for Nottingham Forest.

Gill Hansom, coach of the girls team at South Holderness said: “It’s great to see how much women’s football has moved on. I wish I had had this opportunity when I was younger. Taking part in the MMSC has been such a great adventure for the girls. It’s a fantastic tournament and we have been so well looked after by the team at Coca-Cola Enterprises.”

Often, schools that have done well at under 13 in the MMSC have continued to progress well all the way through the age groups. Last year’s under 16 winners at the City Ground, Manchester were in fact the winners of the MMSC three years earlier at the final at Stamford Bridge.

This is an age group, which according to John Read, Chief Executive of the English Schools Football Association, is key in the development of our future football stars. He said: “The under 13 age group is very important in the development of the youngster as a player and a person. Competing in a national competition helps their education and development not just in football.”