Dale futsal team in semi- final of Soccer AM Cup

Rochdale AFC’s Futsal Squad

Rochdale AFC’s futsal squad have reached the semi-final of Sky Sports’ Soccer AM Cup.

They booked their place in the last four of the competition following a quarter-finals day at St George’s Park, where they recorded a 5-2 win over Sheffield United, drew 0-0 with Bradford City and lost 4-3 against Middlesbrough.

A semi-final match against Reading now awaits at the Copper Box Arena on Sunday 17 May. The winners of the match will face either Sheffield United or Scuthorpe United in the final of the competition, which will take place on the same day.

The winners of the competition will be rewarded with a week in Barcelona where they will play against the Barcelona futsal team.

Keith Hicks, Head of Dale’s Community Trust, commented: "It has been a brilliant journey with 64 Premier and Football League teams now whittled down to just four. It is a fantastic achievement for our Year 12 and 13 students, who are on the BTEC Extended Diploma in Sports Performance & Excellence course at Rochdale AFC.

“An added bonus of the day at St George’s Park was the presence of Chelsea FC, who were preparing for their important match against Leicester City the following day. After the initial distraction of having super stars in the facility, the players finally got their act together and were deservingly rewarded with a trip to London to pit their wits in the last four of the competition.”

The Dale in the Community Trust is holding a Futsal Open Day for current Year 11 students at Spotland on Thursday 14 May at 6pm.

There will be a demonstration of Futsal on the first team pitch, plus a presentation of the BTEC Scholarship, which starts in September this year.

The Scholarship is equivalent to 3 “A” Levels with pathways including University, further education, as well as playing and coaching opportunities.

Anyone interested in this opportunity should either turn up on the evening, or contact Keith Hicks on 07958593121.