Sport: Local football - Two-Touch Rulz Football Championships

ENTERPRISING young footballers from across Camden and Islington will be showing silky new skills this season. 

Players displayed new-found levels of passing, vision and teamwork when they took part in the grand finals of the London Two-Touch Rulz Football Championships at the Seymour Leisure Centre in Westminster. 

Having already won a series of heats across the capital, the best two-touch teams went head-to-head in a bid to unearth the champion of champions. 
 

Camden was represented in the under-11s age category by free-scoring sides Highgate Newtown and Somers Town FC, who navigated their way through a demanding group stage before being paired in the semi-finals.

Somers Town put in a great team performance to net a 5-1 victory over their rivals, but suffered heartache in the final as they lost 3-1 on penalties against Ryan FC from east London. 
 

The dreaded fate of spot-kicks also denied Chalk Farm FC glory in the under-14s final as they lost 2-1 on penalties to south London’s St Matthew’s FC. 

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Camden and Islington teams, however, as Barcelona Blues won the under-18s title in spectacular style. In the most entertaining final of the day, the skilful side came from three goals down to beat St Mary’s from Swiss Cottage 12-8 to bring a successful tournament to a stunning end. 

With the goal of changing the way young players think about football, the newly-established competition takes the standard two-touch training drill to a new level. It helps youngsters improve awareness on the pitch, while teaching them how to shield the ball, and improve their close control and passing.
 

Coach Charlie Browne, who organised the championships with Michael Lyle, was thrilled by how good the football was. “The showcase of two-touch football was fantastic,” he said. “The players were finding the passes, creating the angles and scoring the kind of goals you’d love to see on Match of the Day. 

“I guarantee that the format we’re using will improve the standard of play within the country. It brings players together, and brings the best out of them and their teams because they have to work together if they want to win.”