Back of the net! Bishop Burton College crowned national football champs
HEADS UP: The Bishop Burton College team in action
By Rick Lyon
Bishop Burton College have become national champions in the English Schools Football Association (ESFA) Super League National Cup.
The college’s Football Academy team beat Harris City Academy, from Croydon, 2-1 in a thrilling final at Stoke City Football Club’s stadium.
The win crowned a superb season for the team, who also won the England Colleges Football Association (ECFA) Category 1 League, with an unbeaten record, winning all 12 of their games. The team, which is made up of first, second and third year students, are now domestic double champions.
Director of Football James Bennett said: “The ESFA Super League is a competition in which over 150 colleges and schools with football programmes entered their first teams at the start of the year. To reach the final was a fantastic achievement for our students after winning eight successive games in previous rounds, but to go on and win and become champions of England for the first time in the college’s history is something that will live long in the memory of our students and staff.”
The hugely successful Football Academy is part of a wider Sports Academy offering at the college. Open to students on any course, the academies enable students to play their sport at a national level and work with professional performance coaches.
Director of Sport and Sports Partnerships Sarah Milton said: “To bring a national trophy back to Bishop Burton is a fantastic achievement and is testament to all the hard work put in every day by the football coaching team and the players.
“Years ago, our mission was to be the best and most recognised college football programme in Yorkshire, to now extend that title to a national scale is fantastic for the college and I am extremely proud of everyone involved.”
Bishop Burton is currently on the hunt for new talent for the Football Academy, with promising young players invited to attend the college’s forthcoming pre-season schedule.
Anyone who is interested should contact James Bennett directly by emailing james.bennett@bishopburton.ac.uk.