A TEAM representing Bournemouth are set to travel to Stoke next month to compete in a national schools football final.

Bournemouth District FA under-12s, who have won their league in each of the past two seasons, are set to face a side from Liverpool in the ESFA Champions’ Cup final on Monday, May 1.

The game will take place at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium, kicking-off at 1.30pm, and streamed live on the ESFA YouTube channel.

The team is jointly managed by Chris Hart and Danny Moore.

“We’ve been going for the last couple of years now,” Hart told the Daily Echo.

“It’s been a nice little journey for the lads. They’re a great bunch, a great team, parents are fantastic. They support us every week.

“It’s all run basically by volunteers. We get no money from the schools whatsoever. It’s all run by parents and sponsorship really to help us out, to keep the team going.

“To get into the national cup final out of 80 teams is fantastic for them.

“Four or five of them are in the academy at AFC Bournemouth and one is in the academy at Southampton. The other guys are just grassroots.

“They have been in the academy, a couple of them have been released. They are a very good team. They’ve got a great pedigree.

“We do trials every year for the schools team. So it gives it that fair crack of the whip for everyone to showcase what they can and can’t do.

“It’s a district team, so it’s like the England team really in that you get together when you can. You play games every four to six weeks. They’ve got such a great camaraderie and they’re such a great group. They’re doing so well and it’s great to see.”

With the help of sponsorship from National Express, the Bournemouth side are set to travel up to Stoke the night before the game.

And Hart agrees it will be a day to remember, regardless of the result.

“Absolutely. Especially for the parents as well, seeing their kids on what was a Premier League ground," he said.

“To have that experience of playing in front of a crowd. There’s going to be commentators as well, it’s going to be streamed live on YouTube, so it’s going to be great for the kids.

“They’ll see the team sheet on the screen and it’s going to be a fantastic day out for them.

“We’re going to go up the night before, stay in a hotel with them and their parents and then the run of the day will be a bit of breakfast in the morning, go down to the ground and play the game.

"We’re going to get the coach up there, so it’s going to be a good day for us.”