Congratulations to our Under 11 girls!
By Ray Simpson
Team wins Russell Foster Youth League title
We would like to warmly congratulate our Under 11 girls' team on winning the RFYL title.!
Darlington F.C Under 11 Girls went into the 21/22 campaign in their third season together. In their first ever season, they won promotion and in their second season they were joint champions of the Premier Division. This year they have gone and won the Premier Division outright with a season-long unbeaten record! An incredible achievement for the girls.
Coach Mick Walton said: “This year was always going to be a big test after playing at the central venue in the format 7v7 for the past two seasons. This year we went up up to 9v9 format, with home and away games and also the introduction of offsides.
“Due to the move up, we brought in some new girls at the start of the season who gelled immediately with the original team.
“All the girls have taken everything in their stride and have played some excellent football this season, even in the games when we weren’t quite at our best, the girls showed great determination to grind out results and remain unbeaten all season! That determination certainly paid off in the end as we won the league outright which was thoroughly deserved for the girls for how hard they work in training.
“Myself and Anth Wood cannot be any prouder of this group of girls who go from strength to strength and always try to play the game the right way with a smile on their faces.’
Girls Development Officer and Women’s Team Manager, Shaun Mackenzie added: “What an absolutely fantastic achievement this is for such a talented young group of girls. To win titles in your first three seasons as a team is outstanding but to go the whole season unbeaten is something special.
“FA rules mean we can’t publish the results of any matches U11 and below but the statistics are unbelievable. The amount of goals scored amongst the players is just brilliant.
“I would also like to thank Mick and Anth Wood who coach the team and all of the fantastic parents who support the girls week in and week out. It’s a testament to Mick that the same group of children that started playing football three seasons ago together are still playing and have developed fantastic friendships. I am delighted for the girls and very proud of each and every one of them. A few years to go yet, but the future looks bright for Darlington FC Women ️.”