A day before the Soccer AM Cup showdown, Futsal Manager Gav Cooper has stated he and his team are relishing the challenge ahead.
He also thanked the support his side had received from Chief Executive of the SUFC Trust Lee Turnbull, while he also reserved special thanks for Winterton Iron and the Official Supporter's Club, who have both aided the funding for the trip.
“It will be a fantastic experience for them,” he told The Iron Player.
“We’re treating them properly and we want to do it right. The community scheme and Lee Turnbull, the boss, has supported us, which is fantastic and we are going down the day before.
“The lads get a meal that night, we’ve got our own team rooms, a meeting room and they can use the gym, swimming pool and sauna and we will travel to the Copperbox on Sunday morning after breakfast.
“We are trying to do it as professionally as possible and we want to give the lads every opportunity to perform well. Any professional club would stay the night before if they were playing down in London from this sort of distance.
He added: “We must thank Lee for that, but also Winterton Iron and Doug Parker for their donation, while Scunthorpe United Official Supporters Club have also got involved and helped us out with this trip because having to finance it is not cheap, but for those to give us their support is massively appreciated and it gives the lads every opportunity to go and win the competition."
Fierce rivals Grimsby Town won the competition this time last year and the side is eager for the trophy to make the short distance to North Lincolnshire and while there are no plans for a repeat treat for the winners - a trip to Barcelona - Gav reflected on what would be a 'once in a lifetime experience'.
“It stems back to those qualifications. Without those, you don’t get on the course. Furthermore, if they’re not up to speed with their work by the end of the week, they won’t get to go to London this weekend, but you can bet your bottom dollar the work is completed by the end of the week!”
“If we were in this position last year, there would be a massive goal at the end of it,” Gav declared.
“Grimsby got to go to Barcelona and that was all paid for by the Football League Trust.
"They had a few days there and played the Futsal teams in Barcelona and look around the Nou Camp and all the things you’d expect to do out there.
“Some of the lads perhaps have never been abroad before, so to be able to do it together as a group of lads and work this long and hard for both this competition and in their Extended BTEC course and get this reward was massive for them and it was an opportunity that they wouldn't have passed up."
“It stems back to those qualifications. Without those, you don’t get on the course. Furthermore, if they’re not up to speed with their work by the end of the week, they won’t get to go to London this weekend, but you can bet your bottom dollar the work is completed by the end of the week!”