School footballers prepare for Wembley final

Playing at Wembley Stadium is a dream for any footballer - whether they are a local pub league player having a kick about or professional players at clubs across the country.

For a team from Sandbach High School, that dream is set to become a reality next month as they will be representing Crewe Alexandra in the final of the Utilita Girls Cup.

It is a six-a-side competition which hundreds of schools enter each year.

Earlier this week the school was visited by Lionesses player Izzy Christiansen, who told BBC Radio Stoke she was impressed by what she saw from the Cheshire team.

"It's a cool achievement for the girls to be given the opportunity to play at Wembley," she said.

"It's probably quite scary for them, in a way, but also very exciting.

"Not many people get the opportunity to play there so this is a really lovely thing for the girls of this school, and the staff as well."

Player Leoni, 12, said the girls only found out recently where the final was being held.

"It's just a bit of a surreal experience, to actually think we're going to Wembley where the England first team play," she said.

"When it got to the final couple [of games] we were like 'oh my god, if we win all these we're going to Wembley'."

The girls will play AFC Wimbledon in the final, and head teacher Ellen Walton said the girls had earned themselves celebrity status within the school.

"I just keep on thinking how they're going to feel when they walk out, and they're there at Wembley," she said.

Sports supervisor Luke Moran added the girls played to a high standard, and that they had a really good chance of winning.

"This is a national competition, so they don't get to this stage without being talented," he said.

Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.