Football players from all over the world have no doubt dreamed of such a moment, but the opportunity is reserved for a privileged few. Even at professional level there are many players who never experience the thrill of a Wembley appearance, so what hope is there for us mere mortals in the grassroots game?

Well, last month, the lucky players of six teams from around the world got to fulfil every footballer’s dream when they took part in the Destination Wembley Global Challenge!

Back in May, Club Website and Umbro launched a competition to find three British teams to take part in the event. The lucky competition winners were Sunderland’s Grindon Rangers under 16s, Brandhall Colts under 15s from the West Midlands and Blue Brazil under 15s from Fife.

They joined teams from Italy, Canada and China for a week's competition in London in July. Training sessions at the start of the week were followed by a round-robin tournament, the final round of which was played at Wembley, and Club Website was there to catch all the action and reaction on a fantastic day. The overseas opposition consisted of a Chinese team hand-picked from talent spotting events across the country, the winners of a Canadian qualification tournament and the under 16s team from none other than Italian giant AS Roma, so the task facing our lads was quite formidable!

However, all three sides acquitted themselves admirably and raised their game to match the standard of the opposition. Brandhall Colts lost the day’s opening game to AS Roma by just a single goal and, having seen the Black Country side create two or three gilt edged opportunities, the Italians were very grateful to come away with a win. The same could be said of the Chinese XI who, having been outplayed for much of the game, triumphed 1-0 over Blue Brazil Boys Club.

With the table delicately poised before kick-off, the day’s biggest game saw Grindon Rangers take on Woodbridge of Canada. With AS Roma having clinched top spot with their win over Brandhall, Rangers knew victory over the impressive Canadian outfit would guarantee progress to Saturday’s grand final. And how close they came!

That didn’t spoil the moment for Weston, however, who spoke to Club Website after the game. “What’s it was like to score a goal at Wembley?” I asked. “It’s amazing to be honest.  15 years old and you get to score a goal at Wembley?  It’s every kid’s dream.”

This was indeed schoolboy’s own stuff.  As he wheeled away in celebration I had wondered if he would have a celebration planned; a routine worked over in his head if his big moment came along?

Obviously not, it turned out, as the moment got the better of him.  “No, I just took my shirt off and got a yellow card!” he said.

The last ditch equaliser meant that Grindon qualified for the Plate Final rather the Grand Final but, as Weston pointed out: “It doesn’t matter what game you’re playing.  Getting the chance to play on here is like a final anyway.” These sentiments were echoed by Grindon manager Darren Crann. “For kids to get the chance to play at Wembley, it’s unbelievable." he told Club Website.   “You see it on the telly and you think “oh I’d love to play there”, but when you get here and you actually do it, it’s a magnificent experience.  Tremendous.  I don’t suppose any of them will be cleaning their boots for a while!”

His side have been very successful in recent years in the Russell Foster League, winning two Premier Division titles in the last five years and finishing runners on the other three occasions.  Some of their players have had trials with north east giants Sunderland and Newcastle, so playing at Wembley could be a taste of things to come. 

“Well, if this isn’t the impetus for the lads to go on and prove themselves, to go for it and become a pro footballer, then nothing will.”

Brandhall manager Gary Stevens expressed similar feelings about the day.  “Words can’t describe it to be honest with you.  To walk out through that tunnel on to that pitch is an unbelievable experience.  It was awesome, absolutely awesome.”

Whilst his side have also tasted success of late, they still went into the day as underdogs. “We’ve come from a small league in the Black Country having won the Division Two title."

Brandhall went on to meet Scotland’s Blue Brazil Boys Club in the Vase Final on Saturday, a prospect that excited the Blue Brazil manager Peter Drummond.  “Scotland versus England at Wembley?  That’s got a bit of flavour to it!” he told us.  “Lots of memories spring to mind, from 1967 and 1976 in particular.”

I spoke to Drummond following his team's narrow defeat to the Chinese XI in their final group game, a result that failed to dampen the enjoyment of the day.  “The week has been fantastic.  The experience these lads have had will be with them to their dying days.”

“This is the first time any of the guys have been at Wembley.  Also, we are the first Scotland team to play at Wembley.  In a trivia question, if anyone asks, “Who were the first Scottish team to play at Wembley?” it’s Blue Brazil Boys Club.”   “We saw this competition advertised on Club Website and we forwarded our team to be picked.  Little did we know we’d be chosen.  To play here is just fantastic and Club Website made this dream happen for the lads.”

Indeed, the reality of the occasion took a while to sink in for each of the British sides.  All three managers told me that, upon hearing the news that they had been selected, they thought they were victims of a practical joke.  This was no wind-up though, so all three teams got to fulfil a their childhood dreams and become the envy of their friends and classmates.

The experience was not just a special one for the UK sides, however.  The overseas visitors were equally excited about appearing in the tournament.  Chinese manager Yang Yu Feng, speaking through an interpreter, said: “All officials, coaches and all the team members feel very honoured to be invited as the first Chinese team to play a match at Wembley.”

“We have learnt a lot from the last few days, both from the practice and, in particular, the matches, particularly those against the European teams, to learn from their techniques.”

Anibal da Silva, manager of Canadian side Woodbridge, said: “Speaking on the boys behalf, it’s a dream come true to play at Wembley.  The tournament has been very well put together, very organised and the refs are really good.  I have nothing but good things to say about it.”

Having seen their team qualify for the Grand Final on Saturday, assistant coach Joseph Rando said: “We’re extremely excited about the way the boys are playing.  They came here to England to learn the culture and learn the game a little bit, but now we’re excited to be in the final and we’re hoping to win it.  We’re extremely pleased with Umbro who brought us here, all the tournament facilities and all the people… great job.  We’re very proud of England.” 

As I left the players and coaches behind that afternoon, there was still a huge buzz going around the Destination Wembley camp.  Each of the teams would return to Wembley on Saturday to compete in one final game, so this once-in-a-lifetime experience was actually twice-in-a-lifetime for each of them.

Not surprisingly, AS Roma went on to win the competition, but were pushed all the way to a penalty shootout by Woodbridge.  The Battle of Britain in the Vase Final saw Blue Brazil beat Brandhall 1-0 and, between these two games, Grindon overcame the talented Chinese side to win the Plate Final.

To round off his amazing week, David Weston scored once again to give Grindon their 1-0 win, thus becoming the youngest player ever to score at both ends at Wembley. New Chelsea star Deco presented David with a special Umbro Award to mark the achievement. 

What better example could you wish to see for the oft-quoted adage "dreams can come true"?

For more pictures and video footage of Destination Wembley, visit www.destinationwembley.com.

---