IAPS National Plate Football Champions

On Sunday 23 November 2025, our U11 ‘A’ Football Team travelled to Millfield Prep School to take on the very best in the country at the National Prep Schools Football Tournament. Eighteen of the top schools gathered in Glastonbury, all buzzing with excitement for what promised to be a spectacular day of football.

Now, tournament football can be unpredictable. The games are short, the margins are tiny, and sometimes the draw can shape your entire day. But our team arrived ready, focused, determined, and up for the challenge.

Our first match was against Danes Hill. It was tight, it was competitive, and both sides showed real class. In the end, it was decided by a single goal- an unlucky rebound that fell their way. A tough start, but no excuses from our boys.

Because if there’s one thing we know about this team, they are notoriously slow starters! And sure enough, in the second match, they burst into life. Against The Beacon School, they produced some clinical, confident football and earned a superb 2–0 victory. Momentum restored.

Next came Ewell Castle, who had already won both their opening fixtures. We knew we had to win and then hope for the right result in the other group match. What followed was some of the best football we played all day. Wave after wave of attack, two shots rattling the post, on another day it could easily have been 6–0. But football can be cruel, and despite our dominance, it finished 0–0.

And then came the maths. We were tied with Danes Hill on points, on goal difference, on goals scored, everything. It came down to the head-to-head result, and by the narrowest margin imaginable, we missed out on the Cup competition. The Plate knock-out awaited.

What happened next was unforgettable.

The Plate quarter-final against Brentwood was a battle, end-to-end, full of chances, but still 0–0 after extra time. And so… penalties.

Three each to start: still level at 2–2. Sudden death. They scored, we scored, they missed, we missed. Every single one of the starting seven players, including the goalkeepers, stepped up. And then, back to the first takers. Brentwood missed. And with all the pressure in the world resting on his shoulders, up stepped Tobin who calmly, confidently, passed the ball into the bottom left corner. We were through!

The semi-final was far kinder on the nerves. The team produced some outstanding football, cutting through Royal Russell with real style to win 2–0. A place in the final secured.

Before the final, one more twist. Over on the other pitch, the Cup final was being contested by, yes, Danes Hill and Ewell Castle. Proof, if any was needed, that three of the strongest teams in the whole tournament were all in our group. Sometimes, you just need a bit of luck!

And then, our Plate final, against Hoe Bridge.

By this point, our team were flying. Thiyan was unbeatable in goal all day, and the final was no exception. Tom, Teddy and Hugo were rocks at the back - calm, measured, and the foundation of every attack. In midfield, Seb, Tobin and Olly moved the ball with devastating accuracy, creating space and chances. And up front, with ice in his veins, was Finn, doing what he does best: scoring goals.

We powered to a 2–0 victory and were crowned National Plate Champions.

Mr Arkley and Mr Mac could not be prouder. These boys have shown hard work, dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship from the very first whistle. They are true role models for Prince’s Mead- forever part of our sporting history.

A huge congratulations to the entire squad on an extraordinary achievement.

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