Wow!
Just a spectacular weekend for the ROYAL BLUE!
Chelsea FC prides itself on football development and this year some of our teams took part in two prestigious Pre-Season Cup Tournaments.
We arranged two groups of Teams to tackle the Boys & Girls FC Bendigo Cup and The Maccas Cup in a two-pronged CFC football campaign and what fantastic outcomes and experiences they were.
5 Teams went to Bendigo Cup: U9 Heat, U10 Lighting, U11 Ajax, U14 Magic and U16 Generals
2 Teams went to Maccas Cup: U8 Bandits and U11 Chelsea FC
Report/Results:
U8 Bandits: This awesome new team won the U8 Maccas Cup to become Champions!
From Coach Leigh
"From Leigh- The Under 8 Bandits put in an amazing effort to bring home the Macca's Cup over the weekend. After only a few weeks of training, these were our first games as a newly formed team. We topped the group stage with 3 wins on Saturday. A big collective effort from each individual player. Many players executing their roles and positions tremendously, after only just beginning to learn positional play. Sunday's finals brought a new challenge, with some tired boys after a huge Saturday."
U9 Heat: The Heat won their U9 Plate grand finale. Champions!
From Coach Sheldon:
"The U9 team played 4 games on Saturday, starting with a win against Aspendale and then had some tough matches against Port Sharks, Caroline Springs and Williams Landing, all games were very close and physical and the boys met the challenge head on especially on tired legs after a full day of games. They showed a lot of heart and determination and there was a lot of talent on show. On Sunday morning they played Keillor which was another close match to finish 4th on the ladder. We then played the Plate Final in a tense game against Keillor, with the boys scoring an equalizer in the last 10 seconds of the game. They went straight to a nerve racking penalty shootout and won the Plate final. The Cup was a great tournament and an amazing experience for the team. I was extremely proud of the team performance and how they handled themselves throughout the weekend. Superstars!"
U10 Lighting: Another Grand Final Plate U10 Championship Win to take the title. Too good!
From Coach Chris:
"Our U10 squad played amazing football thought out the 2 day tournament and we are so proud of them. We had a challenging first day with 4 matches ahead of us against quality football teams. We made it to the semi-final and came away with the win and that match was the best football we have seen our squad play 'it was amazing to watch. After winning the semi-final we played in the grand final and also came away with the win. This match was tense as both teams deserved to be there and were playing quality football. In the last 30 seconds of the match we scored the winning goal and won the plate We are looking forward to the season ahead and are so proud of our squad and how they have bonded as team during the Bendigo Cup"
U11 Chelsea FC: Made the Plate semi final but lost 2-0. Next time Team! Keep it up.
From Coach Travis:
'A huge congratulations to the following Chelsea FC boys for their efforts in last weekend's Maccas City Cup that saw 177 teams compete across 3 days in 12 categories. Drawn from a mixture of under 11 teams, Chelsea FC competed in the Under 11, 9 a side La Liga division for teams at the Wallabies level. The boys had a tough first game against eventual winners, Oakleigh Cannons, who scored 3 goals in the first half. Our boys responded well in the second half, keeping a clean sheet, with Chelsea coming close to scoring on a couple of occasions but just couldn't put the final touches to bring back the score line.
Game 2 was a closer affair with an eventual 2 all draw, but Chelsea FC dominated most of the possession and were unlucky not to come away with win. Unfortunately, game 3 was another loss against eventual finalists Moonee Valley Knights. However, the boys were starting to show some really good signs as the tournament went on, moving the ball well and playing some lovely through balls to test the keeper. Moonee Valley's defensive pressure proved too strong, with some costly turnovers proving to be the deciding factor with a 3-0 loss. The semi-final plate division saw Chelsea FC against Dandenong City. Dandenong City scored early, but Chelsea hit back with a goal that was disallowed by the referee. It was a closely fought contest but Dandenong City were a well drilled outfit and with only 1 on the bench this proved to be the deciding factor. Both parents and coaching staff were really proud of their efforts. They represented Chelsea FC with pride and never gave up right through to the final whistle. Well done boys, better luck next year!"
U11 Ajax: Just missed the Plate final by losing on Penalties 2-1. Oh, so close! Great effort!
From Coach Paddy:
"Our Amazing U11 Ajax team went up to Bendigo in great spirits with the belief that they could do well in the competition. Ajax, however had a tough start to the campaign meeting last year's finalist Williams Landing in the 1st round, it proved to be a difficult game for the boys as they were beaten 4-0. The boys hadn't much time to dwell on the previous performance and were straight back into where they faced Bendigo. The boys picked themselves up and started all guns blazing and dominated the game and came out comprehensive winners with a 6-0 win. With their tails up, the confidence from the team going into the final 3rd game against Albury/Wodonga was pretty high, in an evenly matched contest both teams showed great character and was evident to see who would either play in the Champions Cup or Plate finals on Sunday, unfortunately the boys were beaten 4-2 but the result could of been the other way round with missed opportunities. It was then onto the plate finals on Sunday, the boys came up against Shepparton to secure a place in the final. The boys were definitely up for this game, having dominated the 1st half, the boys went in with a 1-0 lead at the break, and continued an impressive display, but chances couldn't be taken and against the run of play, an equaliser was scored leaving the games to go to penalties."
U14 Magic: Into the Plate Semi Final, Well-done lads!
From Coach Juan:
"The U14's will be a force to be reckoned with this year. The new players Dave and Cooper quickly adapted to Juan's style of play. The team dominated most of their games and played well against two well organised Geelong outfits despite losing both games. They proudly finished 3rd in the round robin which secured them a place in the cup semi final. Unfortunately, they came undone to Geelong again despite giving their best. Well done guys."
U16 Generals: Into the Plate Grand Final. Brilliant Gents!
From Coach Juan and TM Sean:
"The U16's played in a combined U16/U17 round robin. Most of their games were tough playing against bigger opposition. This didn't stop them exhibiting their well renowned silky passing game. They proudly finished in 4th place - the highest of the U16 teams which earned them a spot in the plate final. The boys played their best in the final but looked battle weary at the end of a very physical tournament. Springside West were eventual 2-0 winners. The boys still came home with runners up medals. Well done!"
Congratulations to all these Teams that took part in both these events. Just representing Chelsea FC is enough to make us proud.
In addition, and ever so important, we even had our own Chelsea FC kids/Members out Refereeing games at the Maccas Cup. 4 of our Chelsea FC Refs referred a total of 45 matches between them at this tournament. Our own Level 4 Referee Izabella Rako Ref the U8 Grand Final too. Again, our great CFC Gold Coin Referee Program kids run by Stevyn Walder in full show. So Proud.
Even though we have some fantastic football results that proves how focused Chelsea FC is in Football, this weekend's experience with our kids and fantastic supportive families, Team Managers and Coaches coming together and enjoying themselves is the most special thing. Just creating new relationships with friends and families to make team bonding a special part of community sport is something we cherish at Chelsea FC.
This in no.1.
Big shout out to Erin McGuiness who helped coordinate the Bendigo Cup Campaign. Her passion and efforts made the Bendigo Cup experience so much better for all our kids and families.. Thank you, Erin!
It again just strengthens our family football club culture to its core even more so to prove...
We Are The Club To Be With!
Next up..The Macron Cup! Go Chelsea!
#WeAreChelsea