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Pupils to play in 'dream' cup final at Wembley

Emilia Martinez-BarnfatherNorth East and Cumbria
News imageBBC Eight girls wearing orange football tops and black shorts standing in front of a goal. The girls are smiling and some are making high-five gestures, and one holds a trophy. BBC
Pupils from Sacred Heart (pictured) and St Augustine's will face opponents from Tonbridge and Hemel Hempstead on Sunday

Primary school pupils will travel to London's Wembley stadium on Sunday to play in a national cup final.

Girls from Sacred Heart Catholic primary in Hartlepool and boys from St Augustine's Catholic primary in Darlington have beaten teams from all across the North to reach the final of the National League Trust primary schools cup.

The teams will play separate matches against their southern counterparts - from Tonbridge and Hemel Hempstead respectively - before the men's National League play-off final kicks off at 15:00 BST.

St Augustine's football coach James Raper said the opportunity was a "dream come true", while Sacred Heart headteacher Amanda Palmer said she was "tremendously proud".

The boys became northern champions after goalkeeper Rory, 11, saved a penalty in last month's northern final in York, which he said "just felt amazing".

Reuben, 11, said: "A lot of people who go pro never get to go anywhere near Wembley, and here as eleven year olds it's everyone's dream.

"So many of my idols have played there."

Ollie, 11, said: "If I score, I'll knee slide. If we win, I'm gonna take my top off and run around the Wembley pitch."

News imageEight boys in green football tops with medals round their necks. Two of the boys are holding up a trophy. They are in front of the goal.
St Augustine's beat other teams from across the region to secure their Wembley trip

Both teams are the first in their school's history to become National League Trust northern champions.

When asked about the team's success, Aria, 11, said: "We don't just work by ourselves, we work with each other."

The girls' youngest player, Erin, 9, said she gets supported by family - even those relatives who live in Mexico.

"My grandad, he like cheers me on while I'm playing, on the phone," she said.

News imageOllie has short brown hair and stands on a grass pitch in front of a goal, smiling, in a green football top.
Ollie, 11, is hopeful of scoring a goal at Wembley

Clara, 10, said: "I think Wembley is going to be really good. We're never going to get this again, so just play while you can."

Both schools have fundraised for the trip and received support from local businesses to help cover travel and accommodation expenses.

Palmer said the school could not have managed without the support of the local community.

St Augustine's headteacher Katie Whitehead said "everyone" had come on board to support the team.

News imageErin, Elise and Penny are smiling, wearing orange football tops, on a football pitch with a goal in the background.
Erin, nine, Elise, 11, and Penny, 10, said their team was successful because of their friendships

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