The 2021/22 Lyca Mobile Cup continued with the first-ever Girls' regional tournament held at West Ham United Foundation's Beckton base.
The Lyca Mobile Cup is a popular youth football competition that gives hundreds of local youngsters from dozens of local secondary schools and community groups the opportunity to play small-sided games, make new friends and have fun.
Run by West Ham United Foundation and the Club’s Official Partner Lyca Mobile, the 2021/22 Lyca Mobile Cup sees five regional tournaments held featuring over 35 girls’ and boys’ school teams at four different locations across East London and Essex – Beckton, Chobham Manor, Barking Abbey and Chadwell Heath – with the winners going through to a grand final in April 2022.
Around 70 girls from across east London and beyond competed in the tournament, with Heathcote School & Science College from North Chingford coming in first, while St Mary Magdalene Academy from Highbury & Islington and St Angela's Ursuline School in Forest Gate also qualified for the finals.
A second Girls' regional tournament will be held in March, when three more schools will qualify for finals day.
Newly appointed West Ham United Women's Academy Manager Dan Mlinar enjoyed the event, where the lifelong Hammers fan used the opportunity to identify potential recruits for the Club's junior teams.
This season’s event marks the eighth Lyca Mobile Cup, which forms part of the longstanding partnership between Lyca Mobile, the world’s largest international mobile virtual network operator and West Ham United, after the 2021 event was unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.
Since its inaugural year in 2013/2014, the Lyca Mobile Cup has played an important role in the local community, celebrating the next generation of footballing talent from across east London and Essex and encouraging youngsters to achieve their goals.
The first of five regional tournaments was held at the West Ham United Foundation Community Hub in Beckton in December, with Skinner’s Academy winning the U14 tournament and St Bonventure’s School winning the U12 competition.
Stay tuned to whufc.com and the Foundation’s social media channels for updates from the four other Lyca Mobile Cup regional tournaments and finals day.