A young footballer from Watford will be donning the England jersey as he has been selected to represent his country at the European 6-a-side championships in a couple of weeks’ time.
Bradley Wadkins, 22, will be heading off to Croatia on Monday 21st September as part of the squad who are gunning for glory at the 32 team championships, described as the biggest 6-a-side event in the world.
Bradley, who is “honoured to be selected”, came through trials where he had to compete with hundreds of players from around the country.
The thrilled striker said: “It's an honour to be selected to represent your country in anything, and especially in something I enjoy playing. Other than this trial, I've never really been spotted by anyone else during my years of playing… I can't wait to represent the country in the Euro Championships.”
Bradley wasn’t certain he would get picked but remained composed during his trials. He added: “I wasn't nervous at all. There's a good bunch of lads in the squad and it was easy to settle in during [training] sessions.”
Those trials were organised by the United Kingdom Football Association (UKMA), and took place up and down the country. UKMA National Teams Director, Pete Mitchell, said Bradley thoroughly deserves his spot on the plane.
He said: “We have been looking to improve both the strength and depth of the squad and we are confident that players like Bradley have done that.
“Competition was fierce, but Bradley has impressed everyone with his skill and commitment in training; we are sure he will be a worthy addition.”
Bradley will join an England squad who are making their fourth appearance at the European Championships, with reaching the quarter finals in 2013 in Crete, Greece, their biggest achievement so far.
They kick off their campaign with a game against Portugal on Tuesday 22nd September at 2pm UK time.
For more information about the championship, how to watch or show support, visit the UKMA website.
Written by Isaac Ouro
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