On Saturday 20th April, players from Aylesbury United Ladies & Girls FC's U10s and U12s travelled to the Madejski Stadium to compete in the Royals Sister Club Tournament.

The tournament featured teams from all of Reading Women’s sister clubs (including Kinnegad Juniors from the Republic of Ireland) and the teams were invited to show their support afterwards for Reading Women in their WSL match against Brighton & Hove Albion Women.

The tournament’s format was five-a-side with 8 minutes per game. Although this was new to many of the Aylesbury players, both teams soon adapted to the fast pace and the sweltering conditions of the Bank Holiday weekend.

After four very tight group matches, the U10s progressed to the semi-final. A wonderful solo goal by Jasmine Reed, who was awarded Player of the Tournament, took them through to the final against Wokingham & Emmbrook. Unfortunately, Aylesbury conceded an early goal which from which they were unable to recover, despite dominating the rest of the game.

“It was a great morning for the U10s, in our first ever five-a-side tournament,” said U10s manager, Marcus White. “We played some great football in the final but couldn’t find the back of the net. A great team effort from all of our girls and proud performances for our parents and coaches.”

The U12s topped their age group, with five wins and one defeat, and faced a strong Laurel Park team in the final. A single goal was again the difference between winning and losing, but it was Aylesbury who were victorious this time with Lily Carlile scoring for the Ducks.

“The girls were exceptional throughout the morning,” said U12s manager, James Byrne. “For a side that were drawn out of a hat from girls across four teams, they gelled really well and were deserved winners. We managed our first ever international win against Kinnegad from Ireland. Thank you to Reading Women for organising the tournament.”

At the end of the tournament, the girls met Reading Women player Rachel Rowe who signed autographs and posed for photos, before heading over to the Madejski Stadium to watch the Royals win 1-0 against the Seagulls.

A big thank you to: Reading Women for organising another successful tournament; James Byrne, Paul Robinson, Marcus White, Jon White and Rob James for managing the teams; all the girls for admirably representing Aylesbury United; and the families who came along to show their support.

Click here to view the photos of the Sister Club Tournament.