Carlisle United under-12s recently attended a two-day tournament hosted by Newcastle United and were crowned Plate champions.
There were eight teams in total - Newcastle United, Lech Poznan, Vitesse Arnhem, Crewe, Motherwell, Hearts and Stoke City.
Day one seen each team playing a round-robin format with a mixture of wins, draws and defeats for our young Blues.
This experience proved to be an invaluable learning experience that would go on to pay dividends the following day.
Day two seen the tournament split into two groups of four. Our under-12s went up against Vitesse Arnhem, Motherwell and Hearts.
They finished second in the small group and then went on to beat Vitesse Arnhem 4-2 in the final to be crowned Plate Winners.
A fantastic experience was had by all players, parents and staff creating memories that will stay with them forever. A big thank you must go to Newcastle United for hosting such a well organised tournament and GB Sports for inviting us to take part.
Speaking after the event, Academy Head of Coaching Chris Blake said: “It was a very enjoyable weekend of high quality football. Playing against different teams of excellent quality, who posed very different challenges each game.
“The tournament was tough and it was a pleasure to watch the players and coaches rise to the challenge.
“The players, coaches and parents created a positive and supportive environment and were a credit to the football club.”