Atletico proving to be a real force
They share a name with a giant of European football. But even Atlético Madrid would be proud of the achievements of Stafford Atletico’s under-9s side over the past 12 months.
The team, which plays its home matches at Rowley Park, won the Staffordshire Junior Under-10s Premier League by winning all of their matches, despite playing a year up.
And they continued that form in the cup competitions, with the youngsters lifting the Mids Staffs Cup for the second time in two years.
That success led to them entering the prestigious ESF national tournament in Skegness.
And they overcame teams from across the country to secure a hat-trick of trophies – with former England boss Kevin Keegan presenting the players with their awards.
It means in July they take on six of the best junior teams from across Britain at an ESF grand final event taking place at St George’s Park.
The team is run by manager Dave Hislop and coaches Spencer Kendall and Gareth Davies.
And Kendall believes his players’ success comes from their love of playing the game, with a number of squad members having turned down the chance to move to professional clubs to stay with Atletico.
“We are so proud of all the players,” Kendall said. “The team consists of 10 local lads from Stafford and they have just enjoyed a season beyond their wildest dreams.
“The lads have competed in the Junior Premier League, where they play as Stafford Rangers, and won all their games.
“They then beat the best teams from across the country to win the ESF national tournament and now they are heading to the grand final at St George’s Park next month.
“They have scored over 100 goals this season and we believe they are a true, local success story. The lads have had offers from most of the Midlands’ professional clubs but have stayed together because they enjoy playing together as mates. They have all done brilliantly.”
Manager Hislop said: “We currently play a year up at under-10s so every member of the team has done fantastically well.
“A total of 28 teams entered the ESF national tournament in Skegness but we won it without losing a game. We also conceded just one goal and one of the players also received the Player of the Tournament which is an amazing achievement.
“The lads now automatically go into a grand final where the winners of the other five ESF competitions play each other in a Champions of Champions Cup at St George’s Park on July 7.”
