THE Eastleigh & District Mini League are celebrating after Saints offered them their training facilities at Staplewood for their end-of-season cup finals.

All six cup finals - three in the morning and three in the afternoon - will take place on the mini-soccer pitches at the training ground on Sunday, April 10.

League chairman Jim Pearson said: "The pitches are absolutely brilliant. The kids will have the time of their lives."

Pearson added: "We have been working with Saints academy to try and foster a better relationship between the grass-roots club and the professional game,.

"I know some of our clubs in the past have been a bit worried that Saints will come in and take their best players.

"But everyone at the academy has been very helpful - people like Dave Puckett and Malcolm Elias have come along to our meetings.

"Some of our clubs' coaches have been to watch the academy train, and some of the our teams have been down there to train with the academy and to play the teams as well."

Though Saints' activities at under-18 level have been well documented, the club's academy actually begins with teams at under-9 level.