Sports Students make it Big in America - 18/03/2009

In February Knowsley Community College sports students and staff made a trip to America to take part in the Papa Johns International Tournament (Soccer) in Wichita, Kansas. They were highly successful in a number of ways: they won their overall tournament, they won the hearts and minds of their host families, and five of them won scholarships to American universities.

The party consisted of fourteen players and two coaches. They competed against American and Mexican under-19 teams. Before the tournament started the students played against two University teams. The tournament consisted of playing five games over two days, and the Knowsley team eventually triumphed 1 – 0 in the final against EFC (not Everton Football Club!).

The visit also involved the students touring local Universities and looking at some of the degree programmes on offer, which resulted in five of them being offered scholarships to study at University in the USA. Six others will be back there in the Summer to work on soccer camps. The students stayed with host families who all stated that the students were a credit to themselves and the College, and that they would be welcome back at any time. The team was also interviewed live on the local news channel.

The Tournament will become an annual event in Knowsley Community College’s sports calendar, so that future students will have exactly the same opportunities as this year’s successful group. College Principal, Frank Gill, stated, “This is a fantastic experience and achievement for our students in every way. It is particularly satisfying that the students acted as such good ambassadors for the College and for sport in the UK while they were over there. We are passing our message of congratulation and celebration on to the local council and to the schools that each of the students attended.”