Shepparton United SC's Under-14s have been in all-conquering form across 2026.
Shepparton United Soccer Club’s under-14s boys side is celebrating yet another competition triumph in 2026 after clinching a maiden Griffith Tournament title.
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The boys in blue are fast earning a reputation as one of the most formidable outfits in their age group in the state, having already won the Victorian Club State Championships earlier in the year.
Previous to that, the prospects claimed the spoils down at the Chelsea Cup and the Macca’s City Cup, as the regional club punched above its weight against a host of established metropolitan sides.
Making the trip over to NSW for the event at Ted Scobie Oval in Griffith on August 9, the side from the Goulburn Valley braved challenging cold, wet and windy conditions to prevail.
En route to lifting a fourth trophy in quick succession, United’s under-14 representatives claimed victory versus a host of high-profile clubs.
Speaking with pride after his all-conquering group of starlets continues its stunning rise, head coach Jimmy Avram’s delight was palpable.
Shepparton United SC's Under-14s lifted the Griffith Tournament title for the first time.
“It’s another massive achievement from the boys,” he said.
“I’m super proud of them - they’ve gone above and beyond all of the expectations of what we set out to do, so everything from here on is a bonus.”
Avram recounted the young Blues side’s road to the knockout stages, as the youngsters from the Goulburn Valley went unbeaten throughout the tournament - winning every game following on from an opening match draw.
“Our first game was against Deniliquin and their coach had watched our State Club Championship against George Cross online, so he’d done a bit of research,” he said.
“We conceded early and then came back towards the end to draw the game and then went on to beat the Leeton Development League representative side 17-0, then faced the Griffith team to top our group.”
The knockouts proved to be a formative experience for United’s starlets, with the semi-final and final providing a host of side plots.
“After that, we faced the Hanwood under-13 team in the semi-final, I used to play against them in seniors back years ago and they’re a very structured team,” Avram said.
“There was even a lady there from Hanwood who had been taking notes prior to that game.
“Before the game I talked to the boys about was a player who I’d played against in a grand final who had come over from the Canberra Cosmos - he was taller than me, bigger than me - but I used that example as motivation.
“It was funny as when I walked over to the pitch, I realised that same guy was coaching the Hanwood Under-13s, so we recognised each other.
“Obviously that was a fiery match, we took that out 3-0 and then faced the Hanwood Under-14s in the final.”
With a Player of the Match performance from Izeirig Teia, the Shepparton side ran out 3-1 winners in the showpiece to claim the Griffith Tournament trophy, as the all-conquering outfit continued its rise over in NSW.
Next up, the Blues’ teenage stars will be playing two more tournaments before the year is out, culminating in a homecoming at the Shepparton Cup in September.
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