Monday 6th April 2026

The Royal Wootton Bassett Town tradition of annual Holland tours meant that forty eight youth players went on the trip of a lifetime, kicking off the Easter holidays with four fast-paced days in the Netherlands.

The party consisted of the Under 12 and 13 Blue and U13 Girls squads. The teams would be battling it out with sister club FC 's-Gravenzande in a bid to win the Friendship Trophy, as well as Sportclub Monster.

Day 1

The teams gathered bleary-eyed at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground at 4:15 in the morning. Despite the early start, everyone was excited at the prospect of playing football abroad. The Under 13 Blues would be taking part in their second tour and looked to set an example to the two other teams who were experiencing their first ever trip.

The party swiftly boarded the coach and had departed by 4:45am. Systematic and structured organisation meant that the border crossing went smoothly, and the teams reached Dover to take the 10:30am ferry to Calais in good time.

The voyage across sea was successful, with thankfully nobody falling ill due to motion-sickness! The tour party then continued their journey by coach across France and Belgium, with a quick pit stop at the services.

Everyone reached the Stay Okay Hostel in Dordrecht by 6:00 pm in good spirits, although they were slightly worn out after ten hours spent travelling.

Rooms were allocated, bags were unpacked and beds were made before the tour party settled down for dinner together at 7:30pm.

The players were given a brief amount of time to unwind and explore their new surroundings. Eventually, everyone made for bed at 10:00pm in the hopes of getting a good night's sleep and resting for the busy few days that would follow.

Day 2

Another early start was in store for the tour party, with everyone awakening at 6:45am. Having lost two hours of sleep during the night, everyone would have much preferred a lie-in but instead headed out for a morning walk at 7:30am.

The teams and coaching staff enjoyed a quick breakfast back at the hostel prior to the opening matches off the tour at Sportclub Monster, which would be kicking off at 10:30am. Bags were hastily packed and everyone successfully boarded the coach on time.

The party arrived at Sportclub Monster as per schedule, where all three teams kicked off the tour in style with three unbeaten scorelines.

The Under 12 Blues were victorious in their first game playing eleven aside. They sealed off a 4-2 win with Josh Kirkup scoring two, and Eliott Bray and Marko Morse also finding the back of the net.

The Under 13 Girls drew 2-2 against an Under 15 side, with Christina Croft netting a brace. The girls were full of energy and got stuck in against a team that were older than them.

The Under 13 Blues claimed a 3-0 win with Cam Greaney finding the back of the net twice and Mikey Spencer scoring the third. It was a well-deserved victory for the boys as they had been clinical in front of goal.

Results vs Sportclub Monster:
Under 12 Blue: Won 4-2 (Player of the Match: Ryan Flanagan)
Under 13 Blue: Won 3-0 (Player of the Match: Ellis Paviour)
Under 13 Girls: Drew 2-2 (Player of the Match: Jess Riley)

Some time was spent at the Monster clubhouse, where the hosts were very welcoming. Then it was back to the hostel for some free time.

The teams at first gathered to award the Players of the Match awards and have a quick cake break, before heading off with their coaches to spend the afternoon doing an activity of their choosing.

The teams were brought back together again by their second evening meal at 6:00pm. This would in fact be their final dinner at the hostel, as the tour party would be out for all the next day.

A fun football themed quiz followed, in which all the players participated, before retiring to bed.

Day 3

This would be the tour party's final full day in the Netherlands, and by far the busiest too!

Everyone woke bright and early for another walk around the grounds and enjoyed a continental breakfast together. However, there wasn't much time to spare as the party would be departing at 9:30am for a tour of Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam's stadium.

Everyone received an interesting all access visit around the grounds of the team known as 'The Castle Lords'.

The sun was out so the party decided to make the most of the weather and headed to the seaside for a couple of hours. However, everyone agreed to stick to the shops and the pier rather than the freezing cold sea!

The final three games of the tour were held at FC 's-Gravenzande where three more major wins were claimed for Bassett to secure the Friendship Trophy.

The Under 12 Blues secured a massive 11-2 win with four goals from Josh Kirkup, a hat trick from Toby Hodson and braces from both Elliot Bray and Chase Bailey.

The Under 13 Blues championed with a 6-2 victory courtesy of goals from Cameron Greaney and Jack Anderton and braces from Mikey Spencer and Jack Saunders.

The Under 13 Girls claimed their first win of the tour, beating FC 's-Gravenzande 3-0. Christina Croft found the back of the net twice and Hollie Peachey sealed of the win with a last-minute strike.

Results vs FC 's-Gravenzande:
Under 12 Blue: Won 11-2 (Player of the Match: Josh Kirkup)
Under 13 Blue: Won 6-2 (Player of the Match: Mikey Spencer)
Under 13 Girls: Won 3-0 (Player of the Match: Aamira Sakiru)

After the games, the teams headed to the clubhouse for a meal and social evening. There, Bassett were presented with the Friendship Trophy as a result of their unbeaten streak throughout the evening. The players spent the evening celebrating their well-deserved win.

Day 4

The final day arrived quickly, and most of the players were reluctant to go home after their brilliant time on the trip. However, everyone was looking forward to seeing their families.

Bags were packed and loaded onto the coach and beds were stripped. The tour party headed down for a final breakfast, where the final prizes were awarded to wrap up the trip.

Prize winners

Under 12 Blue Player of the Tour: Elliot Bray
Under 13 Blue Player of the Tour: Will Mason
Under 13 Girls Player of the Tour: Christina Croft
Chris Kirkland Outstanding Contribution Award: The Under 13 Blue team

The Under 13 Blues were given this renowned award for setting such a great example to everyone on the trip. They set a high standard for behaviour and attitude and were leaders to the other teams.

By 9:30am, the tour party were on the coach and headed back to England. The journey once again went smoothly, with the party reaching the ferry port with hours to spare and everyone arriving back at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground ahead of schedule.

Thank you to everyone involved in the Holland Tour that helped to make it yet another brilliant trip!

Last modified on Friday 10th April 2026 at 13:26.