As Term 5 draws to a close we reflect on the first full season of the Key Stage 3 school football programme. We entered to ESFA national cup for the first time for Years 7-9 with the Year 9 boys and girls fairing the best in the competition-the girls managed to reach the forth round and the Year 9 boys reaching the third round which is a mark of great success for the College.
As a College we also entered the Key Stage 3 Plymouth and Devon cups which provided some memorable games and experiences for the players – the Year 7’s losing narrowly on penalties in the Plymouth Cup to Torbridge after showing great resilience to come back from 2-0 down to level the game. The Devon cup allowed all three year groups to play teams from outside of Plymouth which provided excellent learning opportunities against some well established school football teams in the county. As a College this year we have averaged 15 football fixtures for Years 7-9 of which we are extremely proud of and I am sure this surpasses a lot of schools provisions across the city and maybe even the county. We have provided participation opportunities for over 150 students in schools football week as well as continuing with the Plymouth School Sports Partnership’s central venue fixtures throughout Term 2 and 3. The Year 7&8 girls faired brilliantly in these fixtures winning the majority of their games and doing the school proud with how they represented themselves and the school during the fixtures.
From a coaches point of view I am extremely proud of how the players have conducted themselves throughout the course of the year and as we enter the summer term we will still look to engage students with fixtures and training as well as the lunchtime football clubs that we run to allow all of our students to participate in the nations game! All players have shown a competitive edge this year along with a strong desire to improve as a team and individuals and this surely stands us in good stead for forthcoming academic year where we can hopefully improve all of our teams’ performances in the cup competition!
Mr Britchford
School Football Lead
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