Max Lewis scored the winning spot-kick as The Vale (above) beat City of London FC 6-5 on penalties to capture the Under-10s/11s Young Camden Foundation (YCF) Winter Cup at Market Road in Islington

SCORES of talented young footballers “shook off their festive freeze” on Sunday when they flocked to the artificial pitches at Market Road in Islington to take part in the inaugural Young Camden Foundation (YCF) Winter Cup.

Seventeen teams turned out for the tournament, which was organised by Pro Touch SA (PTSA) in a bid to help youngsters “reignite their energy levels” following a well-earned winter break.

PTSA founder Ash Rahman explained: “We received funding to the tune of almost £2,500 from the YCF, which is an organisation that supports Camden-based charities and not-for-profit organisations that offer services and support to children and young people.

City of London FC

“Our goal was a simple one: a lot of children will have had three weeks off over Christmas and the new year and won’t have been as active as usual, so we wanted to help them reignite their energy levels by taking part in a fun football tournament.

“Speaking to the players and the club managers, the competition was well-received and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves.

“It was great to see all the young people back in action and sharpening their skills ahead of what we all hope will be a very active 2024.”

PTSA also runs the Camden Youth League which is held every Saturday at Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury and the pitches in Castle-haven, Camden Town.

Kenny Ghis scored the winner as The Vale (above) beat Rugby Portobello Trust (below) 1-0 in the Under-8s/9s Young Camden Foundation (YCF) Winter Development Cup final

Thanking the officiating team that chipped in to help make Sunday’s showpiece such a success, Ash added: “I want to say a massive thank-you to our young referees who took charge of all the matches – without them this tournament wouldn’t have been possible.

“The majority of young people officiating started out as players in the league and went on to become referees because they wanted to remain involved in the competition. So we helped a number of them to complete their refereeing courses so that they could help run match days. They are all doing a fantastic job.”

PFA United (above) receive trophies from former Camden mayor Cllr Richard Cotton after beating Queen’s Park Sharks (below) 3-1 in the final of the Under-8s/9s Young Camden Foundation (YCF) Winter Cup

Former mayor of Camden, Councillor Richard Cotton, turned up on Sunday in his beloved Tottenham scarf to help hand out the silverware.

“The tournament was such fun and it was a joy to watch the young players so clearly enjoying themselves,” he said. “Lots of goals, two penalty shootouts and lots of skill on display – so what more could one want?

“Whether on the winning side or the losing side all the players can be proud of their efforts and I met a lot of proud parents and trainers, and a surprising number of fellow Spurs fans!”

Young referees took charge at the inaugural YCF Winter Cup, with Camden Youth League manager Abul Koyar (in the middle, fifth from the left) and Pro Touch SA founder Ash Rahman (second from the right)

Meanwhile, sharing hopes of hosting another YCF Winter Cup in the future, Ash commented: “We would all love to bring the competition back again next year if we can secure more funding. We were inundated by teams who wanted to take part this time around but we just didn’t have the space to say yes to any more clubs. If we host the YCF Winter Cup again next year we will definitely aim to book the pitches earlier so that we can host more age groups and get even more young people involved.”