Holly Lodge aces are spot on
Pupils from a Smethwick secondary school will be representing Albion at a prestigious tournament in London this summer.
Eight boys aged between 14 and 16 from Holly Lodge came through two tense penalty shoot-outs at The Hawthorns in the semi-final and final of the regional Premier League Kicks competition.
The tournament was hosted by the charity arm of the Baggies, The Albion Foundation, who work closely with the school.
Their triumph was made even more remarkable by the fact some of their opponents were three years older than them.
Goalkeeper George Owusu was named ‘Player of the Tournament’ for saving four penalties in total.
Holly Lodge’s Key Stage 3 boys were defeated in the semi-finals but their Key Stage 4 boys will now be heading to London this July for the national finals.
Sgt Brian Steatham from Smethwick Town Neighbourhood Team was a referee at The Hawthorns.
“It was a fantastic tournament and the behaviour of the students was excellent,” said the officer.
“We help support the Kicks project in Smethwick which is part of our community engagement to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.”
Kicks, which was founded in 2006, is one of the Premier League’s flagship community programmes and uses the power of football to help youngsters in some of the most high-need areas.
The programme engages youngsters in constructive activities like sport, while working with local authorities to reduce anti-social behaviour.
The programme is now delivered by 69 professional clubs and has engaged more than 220,000 young people since in began.
