Amazing APSA finish season with 20 titles!

London APSA Under 13s pose for the camera for their official team photo for the 2015/16 season. 

06/06/2016 

What an amazing season it has been for the London APSA Under 13s team who finished the 2015/16 season with 20 trophies.

This includes:

• Waltham Forest Saturday Youth League
• Waltham Forest Saturday Youth League Cup
• Waltham Forest Saturday League Challenge Cup 
• Active Newham Neighborhood Cup
• London & Middlesex Football For Change Cup 
• Ahsan Khan Cup 
• Jack Petchey London Youth Championships (U12s) 
• Bethnal Green Youth Tournament 
• Manor Park Football Tournament 
• Newham Futsal League
• Newham Futsal Knockout Cup 
• East London Charity Cup 
• SkyWay Charity Teenage Kicks Tournament 
• Salaam Peace Football Tournament
• Powerleague Newham Orphans Cup 
• Manor Jubilee Alliance Trophy 
• Genesis Connect Housing Tournament 
• Plashet Park Football Tournament 
• St James Park 8 A Side Tournament 
• East End 7 A Side Tournament

APSA begun the season in August 2015 and their trophy haul begun when they lifted the East London Charity Cup 2015 by beating NILC 6-2 at Clapton's Old Spotted Dog Ground, the youngsters went on to start the season in the Waltham Forest youth league where they lost their opening game 2-0 to Juva youth, however APSA went on to win every league and cup fixture after that game, doing the historic treble, winning the league, league cup and challenge cup.

Coming from Manor Park, APSA's football started to attract many local people and the Asian community of Newham in particular, many local businesses and and residents started taking an interest in the youngsters progress and in football and begun to turn up to their games in numbers, an average crowd would be of 40-50 people, and the highest crowd attendance this season was 210 when APSA beat Manor FC on penalties in the 2016 Football For Change Cup final at Wanstead Flats.

It's also been a year of progress for some of the youngsters as Akram Miah and Taher Mahmood had trials at 3 professional clubs and although either couldn't progress forward it was a an experience to remember and to take in, they received positive feedback from the academies and were told on what to work on and both the boys know what to do next when an opportunity like this comes next.

Manager Hafiz Ahmed, who has been managing the team for 4 years said this was the best season together for the team and had his say on a successful campaign 'The main thing that im proud about our boys is where we come from, all these boys come from deprived backgrounds, yes we had a season where we won a lot of trophies, but what was more important was giving these youngsters an opportunity, getting them off the streets and giving them something to look forward to in life, working closely with the parents and making sure also at school they do well, that was my vision when I started this team in 2012 and look at where we are now'. 

London APSA captain and top scorer Akram Miah who netted 58 goals in 76 appearances this season added 'This season has been our best as a team, I just want to say a big well done to all our boys this year they put all the hard work in and to our manager Hafiz, without him we would not have got to where we are now, his helped as so much in the last few years and still is, bring on 2016/17!'.

APSA will begin pre season training July 2016, and will play in the Hackney Marshes Saturday youth league for the 2016/17 season.