Pictures from Past Tournaments

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Saturday 29 December 2012

A BRITISH SUMMER IS NO MATCH FOR BROCKHAM 2013!


The Tea Tent blew down - and two gazebos were last seen heading in the direction of Reigate.  But none of that could stop Brockham 2013 being widely declared our best World Cup 6-a-side tournament yet. The eighth annual event faced down the elements, including amazing high winds, to mark the end of the season in style.

Our thanks go to all 204 teams, their parents and friends, who came to Brockham in record numbers to make it such a fantastic event.  Come rain, wind or shine (and yes, we got all three in good measure!) you played fantastic football, gave brilliant support and made it a real festival.

Not only that, but Belgium won the World Cup. Twice. And they beat both Brazil and Spain on the way.

It’s the sort of international outcome that can only occur in the parallel universe of Brockham 2013.  The end-of-season event has now firmly established itself in the grassroots football calendar as the biggest and most colourful tournament in Surrey and Sussex. Each of the 204 participating teams took on the name of a Wold Cup country, many bringing flags and face painted fans in support and producing some unlikely international outcomes. The Belgian victories came as AFC Kings (Belgium) edged out Dorkinians Saints – playing as Brazil -  in the Under 13s final. Meanwhile, in the Under 14s, ASC Strikers also flew the Belgian flag as they beat Hollingbury Hawks (Spain), 2-1 in the Under 14s final.






The big local headlines were written in the Under 15s, where Brockham Badgers recorded a rare victory for the hosts, becoming only the third Brockham side in any age group to lift the winners’ trophy in the tournament’s eight year history. The Badgers Under 15s, playing as South Africa, breezed through the group stage, winning all five games and conceding just two goals, playing some excellently passing football on the way. The semi-final against previous winners and beaten finalists, Lingfield Youth, required a rather more rugged performance and the boys were up to the task. They spurned some scoring chances but booked a place in the final by converting a penalty awarded for hand ball.

The final was against Bishops Stortford Youth, on tour from Hertfordshire. A powerful, attacking side, it required another resilient performance from Brockham. A thrilling, close contest was ended in extra time, when the Badgers forced the ball into the Bishops Stortford net in extra time for the only goal of the game – bringing possibly the loudest spectator cheer of the weekend. Commiserations to Bishops Stortford, vsiting our tournament for the first time – a talent-filled club, we look forward to seeing more of your teams grace the event in the future.

But it was a fitting end for Brockham’s Under 15s, playing in the event for the final time – and the last year of boys to have played in Brockham’s very first World Cup tournament back in 2006.

Having started with 160 teams from local clubs eight years ago, Brockham 2013 welcomed no fewer than 204 teams, aged 7 to 15, from Sussex, Surrey, Middlesex, London and Hertfordshire. With scouts lurking from Brighton, Fulham and Chelsea, more than 1700 young footballers were involved in over 560 matches on the village's picturesque Big Field, in the shadow of the North Downs. Even so, there’s still not enough places to satisfy demand - 300 teams applied for a place when registration opened online in January, with some age groups selling out in just two hours.

On 17 pitches, colourfully-lined with gazebos and flags of friends and families, there were also victories for Crawley Town Girls, who beat Ashtead Fillies in the Under 12/13 Girls final, while a penalty shoot out saw South Park Girls claim the cup from Crawley’s Under 14/15s.


The football takes centre stage, but there was also plenty of free entertainment to keep players and spectators entertained in between the games. Wilson’s of Epsom had queues of boys all weekend as they brought England sponsors Vauxhall’s soccer tunnel, giving players the chance to measure the power of their shooting in a giant high-tech inflatable. The Chelsea FC Foundation offered 5-a-side friendly games in an inflatable pitch, and the Surrey Air Ambulance helicopter landed on Saturday, offering guided tours, before giving a fly-by salute from the sky on Sunday.


Brockham 2014



Plans are already underway for our ninth annual event in June next year,  a World Cup year, of course. Brockham 2014 will be on 14th and 15th June 2014.

All teams that took part this year or were on the waiting list are already on the Mailing List for next year - and in pole position for registration details when they become available in late-January 2014.

If you didn't take part this year but would like to be added to the 2013 Mailing List, then click here.

We’re planning a Samba-filled event,
so we hope to see you in June as a little bit of Brazil will come to Brockham!