October 25, 2013 – 2:49 pm
This Fall I had the pleasure of escorting King’s-Edgehill School of Nova Scotia, Canada on an International Soccer Tour around England. The tour itself incorporated competitive games against local opposition whilst also exposing the group for the first time professional Soccer in the UK. The first game was in the Championship with Preston North End facing off against Crewe Alexander. The players and staff at Kings were then particularly fortunate as their trip coincided with the must win World Cup Qualifier between England and Poland. The touring group was served up a feast of soccer at the home of the beautiful game Wembley Stadium. One of the boys suggested they were a lucky charm and should be sent to the World Cup games in Brazil as good luck.
King’s-Edgehill School had a host of talent on the field, with the International Boarding school boasting players from Mexico, Ghana, Korea, Portugal and of course Canada. The blend of experience made for good competition against the English school opposition. Although not managing to register a win, they played some good soccer, kept the ball well and demonstrated that North American Soccer is growing every year. If the team had used the ball a better in the final third it would have been a completely different story.
To complement the on field soccer education were the cultural lessons learnt by these young individuals. For some of them it was their first trip away from home or to England, and for me it was very enjoyable to help educate them in the history and heritage of some of the nations favorite hotspots. This included trips to:
• Manchester City Centre, Old Trafford Soccer Stadium, the Manchester City Academy at Platt Lane and the Trafford Centre, Manchester
• The Beatles Museum, Albert Dock, Liverpool One, Liverpool FC Academy, and Anfield Soccer Stadium, Liverpool
• Buckingham Palace, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, the Tower of London, The London Eye, Westminster, London Bridge and Abbey Road, London
• The Birthplace of William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
I wish all that were involved from King’s the very best in the remainder of their season and hope that I get the opportunity to work with them again in the future.
Luke Green: Global Team Travel