The finals of the Spireites Schools Cup took place at Staveley Miners Welfare on Friday, with Spire Junior School winning the mixed tournament and Woodthorpe Church of England Primary School victorious in the girls’ event.
Eight schools were represented across 11 teams who qualified through tournaments held by the Community Trust throughout the year.
The competing schools are Spireites Partner Schools who have benefitted from a range of different sessions delivered by the Community Trust on a regular basis.
On the impact the Trust has made over the course of the year, Mr Millan from Spire Junior School said: “The Trust has been fantastic. Not just today, the events they’ve run, these tournaments and the effect they have in school.
“It’s so inclusive. We’ve brought a girls team here as well (as a mixed team) and watching them has been absolutely fantastic so hats off to the Trust, they’ve been amazing.”
On his school winning the mixed tournament, Mr Millan said: “We always come to have fun and enjoy it but I’m dead proud of them today. We went through the tournament and I think we only conceded one goal but it’s great to win.”
On the effect of the Trust on his school, Mr Griffith from Highfield Hall Primary School said: “It’s been very positive in terms of football, particularly girls’ football. It’s encouraged the staff to organise, develop and maintain our girls’ team and a lot of our girls are now really engaged in football.
“We’ve got so many people wanting to represent the school now that we’re struggling to pick teams, whereas before, there was very little engagement.
“We’ve been involved in quite a few tournaments that they’ve set up and been kind enough to invite us to. They’re brilliantly organised and give lots of our children a chance to represent the school.”
On his school bringing a mixed and girls team to the event, Mr Griffith said: “We are a school where we have engagement across all year groups now across Key Stage Two. I’ve got year three and four boys and girls asking when they can play for the school so it’s really raised the profile for the kids.
“We brought a girls team because we have so many girls now wanting to play football and that’s partly due to the Trust and the tournaments they put on.
“We bring the girls to every tournament we can and we often have one or two of our girls playing in the mixed team, too.”
