As all at Stirling County look forward to the club finals day at Murrayfield this coming Saturday (December 10th) we just wanted to share the thoughts of the Head Coaches involved as all eagerly await the opportunity to represent Stirling County at Murrayfield!
National Cup Finalists – U16 Girls – Joey Crozier
The girls are massively excited about representing themselves, their families and the rest of the squad in the cup final at BT Murrayfield. So far we have had a very successful season building on the successes we had as a club last season with recruitment and retention after COViD. It has been a fantastic challenge having a large squad of players this year and there were lots of really difficult coaching selections to pick the squad for the final. The biggest success for me this season has very much been seeing over 30 girls regularly training and playing for the club both in our Inspiresport League campaign as well as the SRU evolution series and friendlies that we have picked up over the season. They have all worked really hard to develop both as individuals and more importantly as a squad and cannot wait to show their skills on the international pitch.
National Cup Finalists – U18 Girls – Johnny MacColl
The County girls are really looking forward to playing a full-field game at Murrayfield which should be a fantastic experience for them. We are expecting another tough encounter against Edinburgh Harlequins after playing them a few times already this season. I would like to say a huge thanks to the girls and also the coaching staff, for all the hard work they have put into training this season, with 20+ now regularly attending training. This is now paying dividends with the way they have been playing and the results to back this up over the season and just recently, with a win against opposition from the NE of England which was a great experience for the players and ideal preparation for the final.
National Shield Finalists – U16 Boys – Graham MacAlpine
We are delighted for the players to reach the shield final this weekend. It was a frustrating start to the season with injuries however, that makes the final even more special as we have had to use our full squad to achieve this and we have been delighted with the progress of the overall squad and I must give credit to the hard work of the all the coaches and players and thanks for the support of the parents/guardians. With an almost fully fit squad, the selection for the weekend has been a really tough decision for the coaches, the squad are focused on continuing their development pushing themselves on the pitch and playing a brand of rugby that they really enjoy and that we hope is entertaining for all concerned on the day.
Stewart Milne – Academy Manager
All at Stirling County are delighted for all three squads who have been successful in making it to finals day this season squads. They have all continued to uphold not just the high standards of previous squads but continue to grow and develop the depth of the squads, with environments that are both welcoming and enjoyable, whilst offering a challenge to the players and they very much deserve the chance to shine at Murrayfield on Saturday.
With our U16 & U18 Girls competing in the National Cup finals and the U16 Boys in the National Shield final we’re hoping to see lots of red, black & white in the crowds supporting the squads. Please see below for all the details from Scottish Rugby on how to register for a ticket for the day.
Please find the Eventbrite link for supporters to sign up to attend the National Youth Cup Finals Day below. Please share with anyone that wishes to come to the game as a spectator as they will need a free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/472503098487
All attendees must sign up for a free ‘ticket’ on Eventbrite. This is for health and safety purposes so we can get an understanding of when we expect spectators to be entering the stadium. Please note that although we have dedicated ticket types for all the clubs, supporters will be able to access all games taking place in the stadium on that day.
The following games will be held on the BT Murrayfield main pitch and kick-off at the following times;
• Girls U16 Cup Final | 11:00
• Girls U18 Cup Final | 15:30
The following games will be held on the BT Murrayfield Back Pitches and kick off at the following times;
• Boys U16 Youth Shield Final | 12:45