ATLP girls’ soccer tournament: Dozens of primary school girls from across the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership in Staffordshire got a real kick out of competing in the first ever ATLP Girls Football Cup.
Young athletes from Years 4, 5 and 6 at Coton Green Primary School, William MacGregor Primary School, St Chads CE Primary School, Greysbrooke Primary School, St Michaels CofE Primary School and Scotch Orchard Primary School met at Erasmus Darwin Academy to play for the prestigious new Football Shield on Thursday, March 6.
Parents watched and cheered as the girls played 7-a-side games across three pitches, with each match lasting ten minutes.
The young soccer stars from St. Michael’s Primary School, in Lichfield, eventually lifted to shield as winners of the tournament.
Mike Talbot, community advocate for Scotch Orchard Primary School, organised the event.
He said: “It was a great event, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. There was a great atmosphere.
“I identified the chance to bring together the ATLP North Hub primary schools for some fun, competitive football. This is the first inter school sports tournament run with schools in the ATLP, and hopefully it will inspire more.”
First ATLP girls’ soccer tournament kicks off
Mike works for Zest Education, an education recruitment agency who work with ATLP. Zest kindly sponsored certificates for all the girls who participated, as well as providing medals and the shield for the winning team.
Mike said: “We had planned this back in September but probably got the logistics in place from January this year. The uptake and interest from all the schools was really strong.”
The choice to focus on girls’ football was part of ATLP’s determination to provide sporting opportunities for pupils of both sexes.
Mike said: “It’s really important for us to support girls’ football. Girls are now getting more opportunities to play sports that were in a previous era perceived to be ‘boys sports’. With this ATLP competition we are giving girls exposure to playing football in a proper tournament, and being part of a team.”
Now Mike hopes the boys will soon get the chance to compete in a similar event.
He said: “We would like to run this for the boys in year 4-6 with the North Hub, and hopefully have a Central Hub tournament that replicates this for both boys and girls. In the summer we will see if we can get athletics or cricket as a fixture as well.”
The organisers behind the event, including Mike and James Austin from South Staffs School Games, hoped the young players would relish the chance to be part of a team environment – and also being a little bit competitive.
“One thing I really admire about ATLP is their commitment to giving every pupil the chance to indulge in hobbies and sports that enrich their learning experience. It’s wonderful seeing young people get outside for some outdoor physical activity together,” Mike said.
“On the day of the tournament, the smiles said it all. The girls really enjoyed and embraced the competitiveness and participation element as one.”