DSActive hosted the 7th National Football Festival at the Portway Lifestyle Centre in Oldbury on Sunday 11 June 2017. We welcomed 22 teams to the competition, the highest ever number to enter, all of them with their sights set on the winners’ cup.
The teams who attended ranged in their level of experience as teams, with some taking part who had only being formed a few months before the big event. For some, more established teams, it was the first time they had played at the National Festival. There was, however, a definite increase in the quality of the football this year and it was a closely fought competition to progress into the semi-finals.
A member of the DSActive team said:
“It’s amazing to see so many teams turn up for today’s festival. A lot of planning has gone into today so it’s nice to see that there are so many people. It’s good to see the massive smiles on everyone’s faces too! The standard this year has really improved and it wasn’t clear who was going to make it to the semi-finals. All of the teams definitely deserved to progress. It’s great to see the parents cheering on from the side-lines. We hope everyone has enjoyed the day as much as we have!”
The Upbeats had entered two teams, the Valiants and the Addicks. Both sides won all their group’s games which meant that both teams made the semis, but they had to battle it out between them to decide which would make it through. In the other semi Newcastle took on Arsenal and just secured the win to face the Charlton Addicks in the final.
Over 300 people attended the event and there was a fantastic atmosphere with everyone crowding round the pitch to watch the big final! Both teams started very strong. Newcastle made some outstanding saves but the Charlton side really stepped things up after netting the first goal. The Charlton Upbeats went on to win the game 8-0 and lifted the trophy for the fifth consecutive year.
One Parent sent the following comment through following the event:
“This is a thank you for the fantastic event we attended yesterday. Our son plays for Charlton Upbeats and this was the first DSA Tournament we have been to. We had a fantastic, uplifting day. Thank you for organising the event, it was full of wonderful moments, many of which you would not usually see at a football tournament! We have been walking on air ever since!”
Congratulations to all the group winners:
- Arsenal
- Newcastle
- Charlton Addicks
- Charlton Valiants
“Well done” to the group runners up:
- Shrewbury
- DSActive All Stars
- Moorside
…and an even bigger “well done” to all the teams for taking part in the event…you all played fantastic football and showed loads of energy, determination and passion.
DSActive presented three new trophies at this year’s event:
- Players player
- Best Goal Keeper
- Golden boot.
Well done to Danielle from Lincoln who received the Players player trophy. She showed great energy and determination on the day.
Best Goal Keeper went to Garry from Newcastle who made some outstanding saves throughout the day, especially in the final.
The Golden boot went to Emmaunel from Arsenal who scored an amazing 17 goals throughout the tournament.
Special thanks to:
- Darren Warkcup, for taking charge of the DSActive All Stars and securing group runners up.
- Georgie Hill and Caroline Harlan-Marks, who attended the festival.
- All the volunteers from West Brom who helped make the day go as smoothly as it did
Finally an enormous thank you to all of the coaches, who work so hard throughout the year, the parents and players…without you the day wouldn’t be what it is.
