Town's youth tournament is a hit (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Town's youth tournament is a hit

SWINDON TOWN UNDER 9S Back row (from the left) are: Dan Frost, Dan Reynolds, Brady Lambert, Scott Bevan, Lee Marshall, Callum McCormack, Will Randall. Front: Mark Lawrence, Kallum Youngsam, Ben Tege, Lewis Brown, Dan Watt, Danny Carter Ref 78958-24SWINDON Town's inaugural invitational youth tournament saw more than 200 youngsters battling it out for honours at the club's training ground on Sunday.

Town's Centre of Excellence hopefuls from the under 9 through to under 12 sections pitted their wits against representatives from Reading, Swansea City, Wycombe Wanderers, Bristol Rovers and Brentford.

On a glorious day at Wanborough, the event was split into morning and afternoon sessions with the two younger groups playing in the morning with the under 11s and under 12s in action after lunch.

Iffy Onuora, Town's head of youth development, said: "It was something we wanted to do and I think we must have had around 500 people there watching the matches.

"The weather helped but we also tried to make it more than just football with a barbecue and some music as well.

"We had some great help from parents and the comments we had were very positive.

"It's certainly something we would look to do again.

"I think it's the type of thing which shows the club in a good light."

As for the football side of the day, Onuora said: "Obviously it's about the kids enjoying themselves but it's also a chance for us to take a look at these kids against youngsters from other clubs.

"It's an opportunity to compare and contrast if you like.

"The under 9s did particularly well in their section, running Reading very close."

Onuora said the search for the stars of the future in the modern game began almost as soon as children can kick a ball in anger.

He said: "Clubs have scouts watching six-a-side tournaments all the time and you can invite kids to informally train with you from the age of seven although it is not until under 9 level that you can formally invite them to become part of your structure."

With two teams dropping out, a couple of representative sides, including one from the North Wilts League, were invited to take part as well.

Onuora said: "That gave us a chance to have a look at some other lads from our area."

Although a great day was had by everyone involved, such events come at a price.

Onuora said: "I think it's the sort of event which lends itself well to sponsorship.

"Obviously there are trophies to pay for for example."

Anyone interested in providing sponsorship to cover next year's event can contact Iffy Onuora at Swindon Town on 0870 4431969.