Story added: 6th July 2015
It was a tale of two days at this year’s Summer Cup, as the British weather threw up some difficult conditions for the young players.
The tournament, which celebrated its fifteenth anniversary this year, welcomed close to two hundred youth teams and over two thousand spectators to Easton & Otley College over the course of the weekend.
Soaring temperatures on the Saturday saw conditions hit 30 degrees, while much of Sunday’s tournament was played under heavy rainfall.
The challenging weather conditions did little to dampen the carnival atmosphere of the festival however, with over 550 matches played out.
Catering for boys and girls from six through to fourteen, the format this year saw a new eleven-a-side format introduced for U13 and U14 teams.
On the pitch, a Summer Cup record was broken as the Gorleston Rangers U11s team made it a hattrick of wins, having won the U10 and U9 tournament in previous years.
Their success was mirrored by the Gorleston U10s, who saw off Old Catton in the final.
The two victories this year took the coastal-based youth team’s all-time haul of Summer Cup silverware to nineteen, pulling further away from second-place Lakeford Rangers.
Both Lakeford’s U13 & U14s teams qualified for their respective finals, with both age groups being played in an 11-a-side format for the first time. They were pipped to the titles however, by Sprowston in the U13s and North Walsham in the U14s.
Meanwhile, Aylsham FC enjoyed their first Summer Cup success, the North Norfolk club victorious in the Under 9 category.
The Under 7s and Under 8s were non-competitive as per FA regulations, but gave many of the participants their first taste of tournament football.
Elsewhere, the Norwich City CSF Elite Pan Disability squad welcomed their equivalents from Watford FC for a tournament on the Sunday. The participants enjoyed a residential at Easton over the weekend, combining training, matches and teambuilding exercises, courtesy of Premier League funding.
Football Development Officer Dan Goffin said: “It was a Summer Cup that will live long in the memory. Credit to all our players over the weekend, who despite some tough weather conditions gave it their all. They received some first-rate support from their coaches, managers and parents too.”
“The Cup is also an excellent recruitment tool for our Norwich City Player Development Centre, and it was great to have the opportunity to see so many talented youngsters here this year.
“Many of our programme’s current participants were first scouted at the Cup and we’ve hopefully identified some new talent to join them.”
Thank you to event sponsors Holden Renault, Link Radio, Macron and Easton & Otley College for their support.
PHOTOS: Tag yourself in our photo gallery from the tournament here!
Online galleries from DE Photo can be accessed here: Saturday | Sunday
Winners 2015
Under 7s & Under 8s – Non competitive
Under 9s – Winners: Aylsham FC Runners Up: North Walsham YFC
Under 10s – Winners: Gorleston Rangers Runners Up: Old Catton JFC
Under 11s – Winners: Gorleston Rangers Runners Up: Wymondham Town
Under 12s – Winners: Old Catton JFC Runners Up: Surlingham FC
Under 13s – Winners: Sprowston FC Runners Up: Lakeford Rangers
Under 14s – Winners: North Walsham YFC Runners Up: Lakeford Rangers
Group stage winners:
U9s – Aylsham, New Buckenham, Old Catton, Morley Youth
U10s – Old Catton, Gorleston Rangers, Firside Athletic, Wymondham Town
U11s – Gorleston Rangers, Mulbarton Wanderers, Costessey Jets, East Coast Warriors
U12s – Gorleston Rangers, Attleborough, Old Catton, Taverham YFC
U13s – Lakeford Rangers, Sprowston FC
U14s – Firside Athletic, North Walsham YFC
9th April 2024
This summer, the EFL, EFL Trust and their network Club Community Organisations have partnered with Kellogg’s to launch the Kellogg’s Football Camps.
21st March 2024
Fourteen-year-old Isabella originally joined our PAN-disability football programme in an attempt to help her improve her anxiety and regular physical outbursts.
15th March 2024
For International Women's Day 2024, we hosted a special event at The Nest for girls from local schools.
13th March 2024
We are looking for aspiring coaches to help us deliver a variety of different sessions across Norfolk.
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