The SGP Cup 2018: One to Remember
The inaugural Kitlocker.com x Nike Partner Club SGP Cup took place on 6th January, and what an event it was! Thanks to the guys at Nike and the FA, we were able to treat some of our customers to a day of excitement and drama. With plenty of twists and turns, as well as great goals, the first SGP Cup was certainly a memorable one!
Kitlocker.com: Changing Teamwear
In the last six months, we have already provided two opportunities at St. George’s Park for some of our customers. Tresham College and Palmers FC were respectively victorious on those occasions, with the latter viewed by a hundred thousand online. We couldn’t resist providing such an experience again. This time around, it was four of our Nike Partner Clubs that benefited.
The SGP Cup was the first of a kind provided by any company within the teamwear industry. The one-day event at the home of England’s national football teams saw each team play each other once, followed by a third-place play-off and a final. Manchester FA provided the six officials for the day, and it was good to catch up with Joel Buckle’s team having previously hosted a NPC event in their county.
AFC Waverton, West Essex Colts, Menston JFC and Tintwistle Athletic were the lucky teams involved on January 6th. Each side are part of the Nike Partner Club scheme with Kitlocker.com, which provides a number of hugely beneficial incentives. Opportunities to access ‘experience days’ at venues like St. George’s Park are just one of them.
A Thrilling Day of Football
With Kitlocker of course remaining impartial, we hoped for one thing going into the day: entertaining football. We were far from disappointed! All sides involved were remarkably balanced and this made for a hugely captivating day. The football played on the Wembley-replica 3G pitch was worthy of the real thing. Don’t believe me? Watch the pick of the goals for yourself in the below video.
Group Stage, Round One: Menston JFC 1-0 AFC Waverton, West Essex Colts 2-1 Tintwistle Athletic
In the opening round of fixtures, the teams had the opportunity to become accustomed to their environment. AFC Waverton and Tintwistle Athletic were both unfortunate to be on the end of narrow defeats to Menston JFC and West Essex Colts respectively.
A simple tap-in was all it took in the end for Menston to take victory in the maiden match. The Colts’ 2-1 victory came via a late goal in the dying moments with an expertly taken finish.
Group Stage, Round Two: AFC Waverton 3-0 Tintwistle Athletic, Menston JFC 0-0 West Essex Colts
AFC Waverton quickly made amends for their tight loss to Menston by beating Tintwistle 3-0. This would go on to be the biggest margin of victory in the tournament – emphasising the closeness of the games.
Menston and West Essex then contested a closely-fought stalemate to close in on a place in the final. The result left the Colts in first place going into the last round of ties in the group stage.
Group Stage, Round Three: AFC Waverton 1-0 West Essex Colts, Tintwistle Athletic 0-2 Menston JFC
Despite losing their opening game, it was Waverton who became the first ever SGP Cup finalists. They secured a 1-0 victory over West Essex to end on six points.
West Essex had to rely on Tintwistle – already eliminated – to get a result against Menston. Unfortunately for them, the side in Sky Blue sealed a 2-0 victory to secure their passage to the final.
Third-Place Play-Off: West Essex Colts 2-2 Tintwistle Athletic (West Essex win 4-3 on penalties)
By the point of the placing matches, the sides involved had already provided Premier League-standard viewing. The third-place play-off was no different, with Tintwistle and West Essex playing out a 2-2 draw. To the joy of the players, West Essex came out on top after sudden-death in the resulting penalty shoot-out.
Final: AFC Waverton 2-2 Menston JFC (AFC Waverton win 5-4 on penalties)
The final was out played out in extraordinarily similar fashion. Menston had looked to have seen out a famous victory, until Waverton deservedly levelled in the dying moments.
The Yellows took the momentum of the game into the resulting penalty kicks and came out on top. A save from Player of the Tournament Evie was enough for her side to lift the trophy. Later, we presented the goalkeeper with her prize: any football boots of her choice, courtesy of Nike.
Opportunity of a Lifetime
AFC Waverton may have won the inaugural SGP Cup, but all the players involved left with memories to last forever. It was a pleasure to host four impeccably behaved sides, who we are proud to call our customers. The quality of the football shown on the day was the icing on the cake.
The SGP Cup – which was made possible thanks to the support of Nike – certified our belief that we are Changing Teamwear. Grassroots football provides teams with its own challenges, and we want to make that easier. Whether we are providing high-level of discounts, quality garments or opportunities such as the event at St. George’s Park, we can help your side.
The Nike Partner Club scheme can provide amazing experiences as well as ensuring your side looks the part. We’re committed to ensuring that our customers are treated in the right manner. Why not consider finding out more about how to become a NPC by clicking HERE?