cup finals youth

Kent County Youth Cup Finals 2022-23 kicking off this Sunday

First up, The Merit U13, U14, and U15 Boys Plate

This year the Kent County Youth Cups, proudly sponsored by The Merit Group, are set to be bigger and better than ever, uniting hundreds of football fans across Kent through the ’Magic of the Cup’.

This is the second year The Merit Group have supported the Kent Youth County Cups, and Kelly Fawn, Marketing Manager at The Merit Group, explains why they are so passionate about supporting youth football in Kent:

“Cultivating a strong team spirit and retaining our family ethos remains at the heart of our business, and we are passionate about instilling these values in our young people.  Football provides the perfect outlet for future generations to experience this by coming together on a football pitch. On behalf of everyone at The Merit Group, congratulations to all the finalists. May you show resilience, teamwork, respect, and great football!”

Our first finals are hosted at Sheppey United FC’s home ground, Holm Park, which sees Folkestone Invicta take on Orpington FC in The Merit U13 Boys Plate; a Danson Sports derby in The Merit U14 Boys Plate and Vinters Rangers take on Wigmore Youth in The Merit U15 Boys Plate.

Reaching a Kent County Cup Final is a huge achievement. Let’s hear how much it means to our teams competing this Sunday.

The Merit U13 Boys Plate

Speaking of reaching the final, David Adams & Kevin Kelly, Folkestone Invicta U13s Manager & Coach, comment, “The coaches and parents are over the moon for the boys on their achievement in reaching the U13 Kent County Plate Final for the first time in asking. We are so proud of them for their continuous commitment and work ethic.” And this is echoed by Orpington U13s Manager Ian Casselton as he explains, “The Plate Competition has seen us travel deep into the Kent countryside, with great commitment from our parents and supporters, and they’ve been rewarded with some excellent performances in trying conditions. Each game has been played in the best possible footballing spirit, competitive but fair, and we look forward to a competitive and fair contest.”

The Merit U14 Boys Plate

This Sunday, the second final is a Danson Sports derby, with Danson Sports Green taking on club teammates, Danson Sports Yellow. Daniel Sault, Danson Yellow Manager comments, “Everyone involved in the team is extremely proud of the boys reaching the U14 Kent Plate Final – even more so as it’s their first time in the competition – and are excited for the game against Danson Greens.” Danson Green is equally excited for the big day, with Team Manager Liam McMahon saying, “The team has worked very hard, gained strength, and have all stepped up to what has been asked. We are extremely proud of them for reaching this stage.”

The Merit U15 Boys Plate

The last final of the day see’s Vinters Rangers take on Wigmore Youth in the U15s. Vinters Manger Paul Maberley explains, “When we see the boys on the pitch giving 100% effort for each other and putting into action what we work hard on at training each week, we are proud of them, and now reaching the Kent Plate final has added to our list of proud moments.” So how does Wigmore Youth feel about the upcoming Final? Their manager, Steven Bennett, says, “to reach our first cup final has provided a real sense of achievement for both ourselves and the players. To experience an occasion such as this with the squad, including players who have been with us since the team was formed, is a credit to the hard work and dedication the boys showed”.

Ticket details

All the finalists have worked extremely hard to get to these finals, and on behalf of everyone at The Kent FA, we want to wish all the teams the best of luck for their big day.

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