GREENE –Twelve-year-old Brayden Greenlaw recently enjoyed the opportunity of a lifetime when he joined the Seacoast United Soccer Club contingency on a trip to play soccer in England.
The trip was organized by Sports Tours Europe in partnership with SUSC and the Premier League team, Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.
Brayden was one of three boys from central and southern Maine who joined a group of athletes from New Hampshire to make up the U13 squad. The team spent two days in London, where they watched two Premier League professional soccer matches before heading to Brighton, home of the BHAFC.
While in England, they played three matches against teams from the Brighton area and had the opportunity to train with BHAFC staff.
Brayden held several fundraisers to pay for his trip, including selling more than 600 raffle tickets, holding bottle drives and working with his younger sister, 10-year-old Hailey Greenlaw, who loves to bake, to coordinate a bake sale.
“It was a great experience,” said Brayden. “I’ll never forget this trip, the things I got to see and do, or the friends I made there. I’m so thankful for everyone who supported me and helped make this trip happen.”
Though there were several highlights, Brayden said one high point was when he scored the first goal for his team since they had arrived in the U.K. just over a minute into their second match. He also enjoyed sightseeing around London and getting to stay on the campus of Lancing College, located in West Sussex with buildings that appear to be straight out of a Harry Potter film.
Brayden is in the seventh grade at Tripp Middle School. He is the son of Ryan and Katie Greenlaw of Greene. In addition to soccer, Greenlaw plays basketball and baseball.
PHOTO: Brayden Greenlaw, 12, of Greene, on the campus of Lancing College in West Sussex, England. Greenlaw recently had the opportunity to play soccer in England as part of a program of Seacoast United Soccer Club. (Submitted photo)
