What a fantastic day! Sunday saw the Pride Park FC family come together at the Aston-on-Trent recreation ground on Shardlow Road for our annual Junior Teams’ Fun Day and End of Season Awards.

Unlike previous years where we’ve had to battle the elements, we were blessed with glorious sunshine this year. The beautiful weather set the perfect backdrop for a day dedicated to celebrating our brilliant young players, having some fun, and wrapping up another incredible season of football.

With 170 people in attendance, the atmosphere was buzzing from start to finish. It was wonderful to see players, parents, coaches, and supporters all mingling and enjoying the festivities.

Fun, Games, and Fierce Competition
The recreation ground was packed with attractions this year, ensuring there was never a dull moment. Attendees threw themselves into a variety of activities, including:

The Inflatable Assault Course & Football Darts: A massive hit with the kids (and a few brave adults!).
The Speed Gun Challenge: Testing who has the most powerful shot in the club.
Penalty & Target Shooting: Putting our strikers and keepers to the test.
Small-Sided Games: Keeping the football flowing throughout the day.

The highly anticipated annual Coaches vs. Parents match was an absolute blast to watch, filled with great fun, plenty of laughs, and—in a shocking turn of events for such a fierce rivalry—not a single red card in sight! The parents put up a spectacular fight, but the coaches ultimately proved too clinical, walking away with a clean 3-0 victory and the ultimate bragging rights until next season.

Celebrating Our Stars: The End of Season Awards
The heart of the day was celebrating the hard work, development, and sportsmanship of our junior teams. A huge congratulations to all of our award winners this year—you have done the club proud!

Under 8 Panthers

Players’ Player of the Year: Priya
Parents’ Player of the Year: Sofia
Coaches’ Award: Ben

Under 11 Pumas

Players’ Player of the Year: Millie
Parents’ Player of the Year: Millie (A double win!)
Coaches’ Award: Sophie

Under 12 Jaguars

Players’ Player of the Year: Evelyn
Parents’ Player of the Year: Amber
Coaches’ Award: Esther
Most Improved: Holly

Under 13 Lionesses
Players’ Player of the Year: Isabella
Parents’ Player of the Year: Greta
Coaches’ Award: Evie
Most Improved: Greta (A double win!)

Under 15 Bobcats

Players’ Player of the Year: Polly
Parents’ Player of the Year: Polly (A double win!)
Coaches’ Award: Isla
Fans Award: Aoife
Top Scorer: Emily

Volunteer of the Year

Phil Dennis (u14 Lionesses)

A Huge Thank You!
Events like this don’t just happen, and we owe a massive debt of gratitude to everyone who made the day such a resounding success.

Thank you to those who spent weeks planning and organising, the volunteers who arrived early to set up, everyone who manned the stalls and attractions, and the superstar cleanup crew who stayed late to tidy up.

Our Raffle Donors
We also want to say a huge thank you to the local businesses and individuals who generously donated prizes for our raffle. Your support means the world to us:

L. Beauty (Spondon)
Female Player Pathway
Mr Christmas Tree
Just Padel
Malt Shovel (Spondon)
and a number of privately donated prizes including from Lindsay Pilkington and from Blanca de La Parra, Club Welfare Officer

A gallery of selected photos from the event can be viewed here

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the club. Enjoy the summer break, keep practicing, and we can’t wait to see you all refreshed and ready for the next season!