TWO school football teams will compete against the best in the country at London’s Olympic Park after winning a city five-a-side tournament.

Eleven schools from across Brighton and Hove played in the English Schools Football Association (ESFA) Impact Trophies U12 Football Fives area finals on Wednesday.

Hove Park School took the boy’s crown, while Vardean School’s side was victorious in the girl’s competition.

They are now set to represent the Brighton and Hove district when they play schools across the country in the national finals at London 2012 venue the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, in February 2018.

Hove Park School coach Tom Lowrie said he was delighted with the team’s win against Aldridge Football Academy in the final. In a dramatic match the boys drew 0-0 before drawing in a penalty shoot out, and finally winning in a sudden death penalty shootout.

He said: “I am incredibly proud of my teams, they were fantastic. We had two teams in the tournament, but one team who went onto victory.

“In the semi-final our winning team also had a penalty shoot-out and they had to keep their nerve. Our goalkeeper was fantastic. Now the team is set to be given a special lunch for the success.”

The team is already competing in four cups. The boys now have their sights on winning the ESFA national finals at the Olympic Park.

The five-a-side tournament for 11 to 12 year-olds featured 16 boy and 12 girl teams, playing seven minute matches in a league format with three games, a quarter-final, semi-final and final.

Despite the finals being an indoor tournament, the footballers played outdoors on the pitches at Dorothy Stringer School in Brighton.

The Brighton and Hove district tournament was the third biggest in the country with more than 200 pupils from our city taking part.

For the rest of the year the school play against each other in league matches with normal 11-a-side rules.

Matt Lindner, vice-chairman of the Brighton and Hove Schools FA, said: “We had great weather and it stayed nice.

“We had 218 school kids from Brighton and Hove, and I was very happy with the turnout from boys and girls teams.”