A century of primary school football will be celebrated this Thursday as the Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association (EPSSA) host the EPSSA cup final, 100 years on from when the first competition took place.
Prestonfield Primary School will take on Ratho Primary School in Thursday’s Final.
This long-standing tradition has given thousands of children an opportunity to participate in competitive football and experience the school spirit that comes with the occasion.
EPSSA was founded in 1888 and is currently the only local authority body from all 32 councils with approval to run a competition of its kind.
The competition is made up of three rounds, the first refereed by teachers and coaches, the second by committee members and the final will be refereed by official SFA representatives. EPSSA is proud to have their support.
The event will use the original 1926 trophy and former players and committee members from the 1960s, 70s and 80s have been invited along as special guests.
EPSSA prides itself on the incredibly ethos and atmosphere of the competition as a whole, aiming to make players feel part of something, regardless of their experience.
Speaking ahead of the final, ex headteacher and EPSSA President Willie French highlighted the importance of the organisation and its role in youth sport.
“The idea behind it is to provide opportunities for Edinburgh primary school aged children to participate in sports.
“This year alone, around 88 teams will have competed for one of our cups. This equates to around 880 children.”
He described the cup final as more than just a football match: “It’s a real family night, lots of parents and grandparents have even played in the competition themselves.”
Kick-off is at 6:30pm at Megget Playing Fields, with an official presentation afterwards.
