15th April 2018

U9s through to Trophy Event Final

Congratulations to the U9s who beat Ramsbury in the semi-final of the U9 Spring Trophy Event on Sunday to make their way to the final on April 29th. A full match report can be read here

The idea of the "Trophy Events" is an FA initiative to allow younger age groups to gradually get used to playing competitive football. Previously, teams would go from playing two years of development/friendly games where no results or League tables were published, straight into a 20+ week season-long league competition. The aim of the Trophy Events is to introduce the competitive element gradually and intersperse competitive fixtures with development league fixtures.

So this season the U10s and U9s age groups will play 3 Trophy Events each consisting of 3-4 weeks of competitive football, making between 9-12 weeks of competitive football across the season as a whole, while the U7s and U8s will also take part in 3 Trophy Events, but shorter in duration, each comprising just two games. The aim is to give the younger age groups a taste of competitive football, but without the pressure a full season-long competition can somtimes exert on what are still very young players.

Further information on the FA's Youth Development review is available on the FA's main Youth Development Review page and locally on the Wilts FA website