Victory for Palace Primary School at Premier League tournament at Vicarage Road
The Crystal Palace mixed team from St Mary’s, Beckenham school were crowned champions at the annual Premier League Primary Stars tournament held at Vicarage Road this week, after a victory over Chelsea in the final.
The Premier League Primary Stars tournament is one of the highlights in the Premier League Communities calendar and gives youngsters the chance to represent their club, experience the thrill of being treated like a top-flight footballer, and make memories which will last a lifetime.
Each year, every Premier League club bring two teams to represent them in the National Primary Stars finals. Representing Palace for Life was Cheam Park Farm for the girls and St Mary’s in Beckenham for the mixed team. All teams got the chance to wear their club kit, use the same dressing rooms the pro’s use on matchday, and play their fixtures refereed by Premier League match officials in front of a crowd at Watford’s Vicarage Road.
St Mary’s Beckenham topped their group with victories over West Ham, Watford, Leicester and Aston Villa before nabbing a 2-0 win against Spurs in the semi-final.
After the impressive run, the Eagles went one step further and managed to take home the Primary Stars National Championship title with a 2-0 over Chelsea in the final.
The girl’s team from Cheam Park Farm were unlucky in the group stages after drawing two and losing two, meaning they didn’t make it to final, but did a fantastic job in representing their school and club.
James Jenden, Primary Schools Programme Coordinator, was delighted with Palace for Life’s team performances:
“Both Cheam Park and St Mary’s played really well; they both represented Crystal Palace with great pride. The players and staff all enjoyed the day and having St Mary’s go on to win the mixed competition was a real bonus!”
The tournament was part of the Premier League’s Primary Stars programme, which uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and development important life skills.
For more information on our primary school programmes, please click here.