College Team are the Champions

02/03/2010

A talented young squad of teenage footballers from Milton Keynes College have been crowned league champions of the SESSA Men's Premier North League.

The MK College Football Development Squad beat off the challenge of older university sides to win the Southern England Students Sports Association league by two points.

"It's a fantastic achievement because a lot of our players are 16 or 17 years old and they are facing some teams with players aged 25 or 26," explained coach Mark Walsh.

"Their footballing ability is technically excellent and that's how they match the more physical sides, by passing the ball around them," he added.

"In fact, the standard is so good that two of our players, club captain Lewis McBride, a former MK Dons academy player, and Immanuel Soetan, our top-scorer, have just had trials with the British Colleges England Squad, after being scouted by the England coach."

The MK College squad, which ranges in age from 16-19, is made up of students from various courses based at Milton Keynes College's different campuses. Players include  carpentry, business studies and sports science students.

The team trains three times a week with games on a Wednesday, and play in a series of cup competitions, and another league, the elite British Colleges NCFL Football Mens East/South East division, where they are currently in fourth spot. They are also through to the last 32 of the England Schools Football Association U18 National Cup competition.

Mark is firm about the importance of his players' studies: "The college operates a strict ‘no pass, no play' policy, with them missing matches if they don't attend their lessons or complete their work."

"We provide an opportunity for our students to play a high standard of football in a professional environment, experiencing professional coaching, and they are doing us proud."

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