East Riding County FA would like to congratulate Rockford Rangers Under 10’s on been selected to play at Wembley as part of England Football Day.
Rockford Under 10’s manager Des McEnteggart explains below the process he went through to enable his players to gain the once in a life time experience to play football at the world famous Wembley stadium.
The competition was ran in the Sun newspaper and I had to write in less than 100 words why I felt my team should have the chance to be coached and play at Wembley. I only found out the week before we were successful and with a lot of support from Mel, Cheryl and Sarah we managed to get it fully arranged. Also Compass Electrical Systems put up sponsorship money to assist in the cost of a coach for the trip.
Until we arrived I did not know what it meant until I saw the nerves of some of the players. The players were so excited and did not let anyone down. They listened to the coaches and spent the 2 hours going through drills and playing small sided games on the pitch. The highlight were running up the tunnel and seeing themselves on the Wembley screens and having their pictures taken with the FA cup.
It was only on the way home that it showed on everyone faces that they had been to Wembley and played on the pitch just like their heroes. The players were still going late into the night talking about it and went to school on Monday on a high. I think everyone who attended this trip can say that the players have experienced something that most people only dream about.
The players and parents (and guests) got to meet stars such as Gary Barlow, Sharon Davies and then had dinner in the Bobby Moore Suite before joining in with everyone to watch the England vs USA game.
From my point of view, to give these lucky players this chance was worth all the wet and cold mornings that I have to put up with and the smiles on their faces is something I will have with me for ever.