The team won the Maidstone tournament at the Gallagher Stadium yesterday and will progress to the regional heat later this autumn.

Now in its seventh season, the six-a-side competition is for schools in the towns or boroughs of National League clubs. Last year, more than 50 of the 72 clubs took part.

Maidstone’s girls’ team were back-to-back winners of the competition in 2022 and 2023, the latter being hosted at Wembley Stadium before the National League Promotion Final.

A boys’ tournament will be held at the home of the Stones next month to select the school that will represent the club in the next stage of the boys’ competition.

Yesterday’s tournament was organised by Stones in the Community, Maidstone United’s charity. It featured 36 schools from Maidstone and the surrounding area. The Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Martin Round, was attendance throughout the day and presented medals and trophies on behalf of the charity.

As part of the day, the Baton of Hope was paraded around the Gallagher Stadium. It was the baton’s first visit to Kent and Medway, with more than 130 local residents taking turns carrying the campaign’s Olympic torch-style baton through Medway, Maidstone, Canterbury and Thanet.

The Baton of Hope – the world’s biggest suicide prevention campaign – will visit 20 locations across the UK. It began in Blackpool and will conclude in Wrexham a week Saturday (4 October), ahead of a finale in Westminster on 10 October.

Stones in the Community Trustee Mike Cogger said: “Congratulations to South Borough Primary School and to all those who took part. It was a wonderful celebration of girls’ football, and it was clear the Lionesses’ recent success is inspiring the next generation of players.

“It was a poignant moment when the Baton of Hope arrived and was paraded around the stadium. I come from a generation where suicide and talk of it were very much taboo. Through campaigns such as these, I hope more people will seek the help they need, which is out there through numerous organisations.”