As part of our new relationship with the Herts Youth League (HYL), we’ve been exploring new opportunities for our young players. One of the things that piqued our interest was the HYL Under 7 Festivals — a fantastic pathway towards league football for our Year 2 players. The festivals, organised every 3 weeks or so up to Christmas in Year 2, are designed to give young players a taste of competitive matches while still keeping the focus on fun and development. For many of our players, these events offer an exciting glimpse into the world of league football, giving them the chance to experience competitive football without having to commit to playing every weekend and training during the week.
While the match scores aren’t officially recorded at this level, it’s no secret that the children (and parents!) usually keep track. For VPFC, with us still finding our way in supporting those interested in transitioning to league football, it’s always good to know how our teams are shaping up against others in the area. And judging by the feedback from this festival – the report following from our Year 2 Group’s Manager, Neil Harrison – we have every reason to be proud!
⚽️ U7 Festival Report ⚽️
On Saturday, Year 2 participated in their first Herts Youth League Festival, hosted by Wheathampstead Wanderers. This was the first opportunity for a group of players who have been with our skills setup for the past two seasons to test themselves against some strong local teams.
The team played four matches—against St Albans City, Wheathampstead Wanderers, Bengeo, and Bury—with every player giving their best and enjoying themselves along the way. What’s even better? We won all four games!
Here’s a quick summary of the day’s action:
- 1-0 vs St Albans City: A closely fought game, sealed with a brilliant link-up between Robbie and Calum for a fantastic goal.
- 2-0 vs Wheathampstead Wanderers Pumas: Elliott and Robbie were on fire, both netting beautiful goals.
- 9-0 vs Bengeo Caspians: A goalfest! Hat-tricks from Calum and Finlay, a brace from Jude, and a goal with an assist by Ted led the way.
- 3-0 vs Bury Stripes: A strong defensive display from Jesse and excellent team play all around capped off the day with goals from Ralph, Ted, and Robbie.
The afternoon was topped off by an impressive feat—we didn’t concede a single goal! But most importantly, the team had loads of fun, which was the true highlight of the day.
