Hong Kong, 11 May 2022: Congratulations to the Boase Cohen & Collins-sponsored VCD Athletic U23s, a group of young footballers making their mark in Southeast England’s highly competitive football scene.

The team have just finished runners-up in the Isthmian Development League South, continuing their upward trajectory after six years of continuous backing from BC&C.

“It’s been another excellent season for VCD and we’re delighted to see them thriving. As a firm, we have always been strong supporters of youthful endeavor, both within the legal profession and beyond,” says BC&C Senior Partner Colin Cohen, an avid football fan and keen amateur referee.

Starting out as Glebe U14s and then appearing as Bromley FC at U15s and U16s level, the players won three league titles in the Kent Youth League. They were then handed the chance to further their learning in the colours of VCD Athletic, where they have played for the past three seasons. The highlight of their latest campaign was successive 5-1 home wins against Tooting & Mitcham United and Margate in November. Aiden Hogan was named VCD’s Player of the Season.

VCD Development Manager Danny Harris is thankful for BC&C’s ongoing support. “With the firm’s backing, we have been able to keep the nucleus of the team together and give them the chance to continue their football journey. We are grateful to Colin and his colleagues for their generous assistance.”

The success of the development programme was illustrated last summer when one of the players, teenager Jayden Smith, signed his first professional contract with English Premier League club Southampton.

VCD Athletic are a semi-professional football club founded in 1916, during the First World War, as a company team by employees of the now defunct Vickers armaments factory. The club’s first team play in the Isthmian League.