A message from the Chairman: December 2014
Wednesday 17 December 2014By ESFA Office
Last Updated:
10/02/2021 11:49:34
Mike Spinks - ESFA Chairman
The U18 boys’ international trials began in our 4 regions (North, Midlands, South-West and South-East) with 16 lads from each region being selected for the last 64 coaching weekend at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire. That coaching weekend took place at the end of November resulting in 32 boys being chosen to meet again at Lilleshall next month when matches will be played against the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy on Saturday 10 January.
The U15 girls’ international trials also began regionally and were followed by 2 further matches, The North v The Midlands and The South-East v The South-West. From these 2 games 32 girls have been selected to take part in a Final Trial in Stafford on Sunday 14 December. A squad of 16 will then be put together and they will then travel to Portugal during their February half-term break for some warm weather coaching at Benfica’s Training Ground, followed by 2 games against club opposition in Lisbon.
During November, last season’s ESFA Chairman Dave Woollaston and I were invited to Brazil to support the England U12 team who were participating in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in Sao Paulo. The England team were made up of the Lewisham U11 squad which won the ESFA Inter-District National Trophy last June, at Watford Football Club’s Training Ground, plus 2 players from runners-up Dacorum. The tournament saw the England team beat Portugal, Uruguay and Italy, drawing with Argentina and Bulgaria and suffering defeats against Japan, the eventual winners, and France. Playing off for 11th and 12th place at the Corinthians Football Club in Sao Paulo (where England played Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup) on the last day of the tournament our lads were beaten 1-0 by the United States of America.
I would like to close by wishing all of you within the ESFA family the compliments of the season. For those of you at the “chalk face” I trust you will have a very well-earned break.
The ESFA headquarters in Stafford will be closed from Christmas Eve until after the New Year’s Bank Holiday. I am sure you would all like to join me in wishing our office staff, their partners and their families a very Happy Christmas.
