The North East U16 Open squad delivered a gold winning performance in Division 2 at the recent Inter-Regional Championships, showcasing strong defence and attacking control and earning them a promotion to Division 1 for the next 2010 born competition being held in 2027.

Game 1 against East Midlands was a nervous start with the opponents winning the opening quarter. Composure returned, and NE managed 15 defensive steals and a solid attack to win the game. It was a similar story in the remaining matches, with a high proportion of steals and turn-arounds in NE’s favour allowing a clean sweep of wins.

Leadership and Individual Accolades

The team was capably led by captain Thomas Forrest who also earned Top Goal Scorer and Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Tournament, showcasing remarkable offensive and defensive skills throughout the event. Thomas reflected on the weekend and said I’m incredibly happy to see how much the players have grown over the past 18 months — from finishing 7th in the last tournament to now winning Division 2. It’s a huge achievement for the team and the entire region. I couldn’t be prouder of every single player — their performances, dedication, and teamwork delivered the perfect result. We’ve all worked so hard in training to make this possible, and I want to thank the coaches for their outstanding commitment and the countless hours they’ve devoted to supporting the team. Now, bring on Division 1!

Special congratulations also go to:

Seb Husak, who earned NE team’s separate MVP award and

Dylan Moss, who emerged as the Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Gratitude and Support

A special thank you goes to all the squad coaches and team managers for their dedication and leadership not only at the Tournament competition but month-in, month-out, at the regular NE Academy sessions.

Also worthy of a big thank you was our region’s referee for the Tournament, Nigel Sabell.

Thanks also to the parents and supporters for their regular and ongoing effort.

Article wrote by Grant Peters