Another cup final for West Ham United’s academy squad- this time the Under 17 Premier League Cup Final – kicks off at 7.00 as the Hammers youngsters take on Blackburn Rovers at Accrington Stanley’s wonderfully named Wham Stadium.
Designed to bridge the gap between schoolboy and development football, the U17 Premier League Cup mirrors the format of the U18 tournament, which our young Hammers won last season. (Whufc.com)
For those missing their midweek fix of Claret and Blue activity, the game will be blogged live on the whufc.com website, while a live stream of the fixture will be available on the Club’s website and app.
In terms of players to watch for, , forwards Joel Kerr (four), Jephthah Medine (four) and left-back Joe Scanlon (three) have contributed over half of the side’s 18 goals.
For those of modest tech awareness the live feed can be accessed [HERE](https://www.whufc.com/en/news/live-stream-or-u17-premier-league-cup-final) free of charge.
As for the structure of the competition:
_The U17 Premier League Cup was launched in the 2020/21 season to help academies provide first-year U18 players, also known as first-year scholars, with more opportunities for competitive football. Players eligible for the 2025/26 edition must be born on or after 1 September 2008. However, teams can name up to three second-year scholars in their squad (born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008)._
_Mirroring the format of the U18 Premier League Cup, the U17 Premier League Cup is split into eight groups of four teams, with clubs playing each other once in the group stage, either home or away, with only group winners progressing to the quarter-finals._
_Knockout stage games that finish level are settled in extra-time or penalties should the 30 minutes of extra time also finish level._
West Ham’s academy has already seen a cup final lost this season: The u21’s came out second best to Borehamwood after a penalty shootout, following The Hammer’s opponents equalising in the 92nd minute. Here’s hoping the even younger youngsters can go a step further and bring the trophy home to east London! _Come.OnYou.Young Irons!_