Utilita, the Official Title Partner of the Kids and Girls Cup competitions, marked the launch of their partnership with the EFL with a tournament which took place at Brentford FC earlier this week.
Utilita are one of the UK’s fastest-growing energy suppliers and a leader in the smart meter revolution – installing Britain’s first ever smart meter way back in 2008. 14 EFL Clubs are currently partnered with Utilita, with sponsorship ranging from stadium naming rights to junior retail kits.
Earlier this season, the EFL and Utilita announced the new partnership, which will be in place until at least the conclusion of the 2022/23 season and will see the community competitions renamed as the ‘Utilita Kids Cup’ and ‘Utilita Girls Cup’, respectively.
Crawley Town's Community Foundation will be running our Girls Cup at Oriel High School, Maidenbower, on November 21 and the Kids Cup on December 9 at The People's Pension Stadium.
They are part of over 22,000 schoolchildren take part in the competitions each year, with the aim of representing their local EFL Club, as they battle for the opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium. The Girls Cup Final takes place before the Leasing.com Trophy Final and the Kids Cup Finals during the Sky Bet Play-Off Finals weekend.
In the run up to these Finals, EFL Clubs and their Club Community Organisation’s deliver local and regional stages of the competitions. By encouraging these young people to participate and develop a love of sport, the Clubs and CCOs are helping to deliver the EFL Trust’s overall vision to create stronger, healthier, more active communities, whilst also supporting Sport England’s ambition of creating an active nation by focusing on the benefits sport can bring to people and society.
The competitions have also historically played a part in the development of some now established professional players, with Will Hughes (Watford) and Scott McTominay (Manchester United) having previously represented their schools in the Kids Cup Finals.
Pictured: Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa as on hand to launch the Kids Cup and Girls Cup earlier this week
