All the teams who took part in the recent Under-12s Camden Youth League International Cup festival of football at Coram’s Fields

THE stage is set as scores of talented young foot­ballers from across Camden, Islington and Westminster gear up for back-to-back weekends of silverware showdowns at Coram’s Fields.

The business end of the season is in full swing in the Camden Youth League, with players preparing to tackle successive Saturdays of what promise to be thrilling cup finals. There are also league titles still up for grabs in the coming weeks at the artificial pitches in Bloomsbury.

But the action won’t stop there, with organisers having already penned in a date for a tournament for coaches and parents, while they will also be hosting a series of day-long competitions throughout June into July.

Runners-up Camden Elite Under-12s, who just missed out on silverware after a nail-biting penalty shootout against Croatian side MŠN Bubamara

Zahid Hossain, who runs the Camden Youth League alongside Abul Koyar, said it was a demanding schedule for the organisers, but “one look at the smiles on the players’ faces makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

He added: “Visit Coram’s Fields on a Saturday and you’ll see loads of young players enjoying football, and their parents and carers cheering them on pitchside.

“There are children smiling with their medals and trophies, there is laughter, sometimes there are tears – all the drama that comes with playing football. It really is a fantastic atmosphere.

“Of course, organising the match days takes a lot of hard work, it can be very tough. But it’s really fulfilling – when you see the kids happy and enjoying their football you think, ‘This is why we do what we do’.”

Talented trio, from left, Wilson Amelley, Cairon Anderson-Ba and Jaheem Oni from Pro Touch SA

As if the domestic scene doesn’t keep them busy enough, co-ordin­ators from the league also put together an inter­national football festival in April. Croatian youth club MŠN Bubamara joined a number of local teams for the Under-12s Inter­national Cup – including Pro Touch SA, who have roots in Camden, Westminster and Islington, Camden Elite and Sport London e Benfica, who are based in Westminster.

After a day of pulsating action, the Bubamara Blues and Camden Elite won their way into the final. In the end the two sides could only be separated by a nail-biting penalty shootout – with the players from Zagreb the last ones cheering as they captured the cup.

Pro Touch SA speedster Jaheem Oni in action against Chelmsford City

“It was a fantastic experience for all the players involved,” said Zahid. “It was their European Cup – a chance for them to play in a tournament that had a real international flavour to it that only added to the excitement and the atmosphere.

“The competition helped our young players, coaches and parents gain an insight into how other youth teams in Europe approach games and conduct themselves, like how they perform their warm-ups and how they handle the pressure of a penalty shootout. It also showed some of the players that despite the cultural differences they still shared so much in common, like their love of playing FIFA and music.

“The tournament proved a huge success, and we are currently working on other inter­national projects which will be revealed soon.”

For now, however, it’s back to the domestic action at Coram’s Fields.

• Any teams interested in joining the Camden Youth League for one of their day-long tournaments in June and July can email camdenyouthleague@gmail.com or call Zahid on 07856 461040.