St Mary’s Catholic Primary School recently visited Sparrows Lane for a training session with Charlton’s 2018/19 play-off-winning captain Jason Pearce. The Eltham-based school will contest the final of the Utilita Kids Cup at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, May 25th, with their match kicking off ahead of the men’s first-team’s Sky Bet League One play-off final against Leyton Orient.
The Utilita Kids Cup is a national tournament for junior footballers, offering children a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium. St Mary’s journey to the hallowed turf of Wembley began at Sparrows Lane, where they emerged as winners of Charlton Athletic Community Trust’s (CACT) local Utilita Kids Cup tournament. That victory earned them the chance to represent Charlton in the regional finals, which they also went on to win after defeating a school representing Reading United in the final. This triumph booked St Mary’s place in the national final, where a school representing Blackpool now stands between them and the Utilita Kids Cup trophy.
Pearce put the team through their paces at Sparrows Lane in preparation for their Wembley clash, where they participated in technical and tactical coaching drills overseen by the former Addicks captain.
Now working in the club’s academy as Senior Professional Development Phase Lead Coach, Pearce said following the training session with St Mary’s: “They are very focused and determined children, who have done fantastically well to get to the final. It was nice to do some coaching with them and give them a few tips going into the game in technical and tactical areas. I’ve experienced it [playing at Wembley] and got to pass on what that looks like. I had to wait until I was 31 to get my opportunity to play there, but they’re doing it at the age of nine and ten! They’ll go there with no fear and the message was to tell them to enjoy the experience.”
The League One Utilita Kids Cup final between schools representing Charlton and Blackpool will kick off at 11:45am at Wembley Stadium - less than 90 minutes before Nathan Jones’ side take on Leyton Orient.