7 Elite youngsters win Everton tournament
7 Elite Academy UK’s Under-16 Boys (JPL) walked away with the silverware at the Everton Football College Tournament.
The final-four round of the competition was held at Everton’s Finch Farm training complex in Liverpool.
The 7 Elite Academy Junior Premier League players were joined by their Under-16 club mates from the St Helen’s & Rainhill League.
The two 7 Elite Academy teams reached the finals competition after winning a series of qualifying rounds held across the region.
And the JPL side emerged with top honours after winning a gripping penalty shoot-out in Friday’s final.
Alan Moogan, Head of UK Coaching at 7 Elite Academy, said: “Today has been a fantastic opportunity for our Under-16 teams to play at a Premier League training ground.
“Both teams worked incredibly hard to get to this stage, and fully deserved every minute of the experience.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our players for the way they competed and applied themselves throughout.
“This tournament was contested by some excellent Under-16 teams, so all the players should be very happy with their performances.”
Also in the final four were Lower Breck and Brittania Juniors, with all teams playing a semi-final, then a final or third/fourth play-off.
7 Elite Academy is a global youth football organisation that has teams and training bases for thousands of players in the United Kingdom, United States and Africa.
Moogan added: “We are expanding all our teams for next season, to include Under-8 level to Under-17 and then Under-21 through our partnership with AFC Liverpool.
“This means we now have a pathway for players to follow through our academy, including opportunities to study at post-16 level and play football abroad.
“Already this year, our youngsters have taken part in tournaments across the United States and only last week two players were in South Africa on a coaching tour.
“This win is a brilliant achievement for our Under-16 JPL players and they fully deserve this success.”