Chronicle Summer 2024

56 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

In the Spring Term of this year the Football Club gathered to launch the next phase of its rapid development. With more teams than ever before, the Club has expanded to include 14 boys’ and three girls’ teams, meaning more fixtures, more playing time and more coaching for every pupil involved. Pre-season Whilst the Spring Term dominates the football calendar, the Autumn Term has been an increasingly demanding term for footballers, with senior pre-season, Fourth Form pre-season and Shell activity all allowing players to get on the ball and active throughout the term. It also saw the boys’ and girls’ 1st XI and the boys’ 16A take part in the ESFA Cup and the girls’ 1st XI play in the ISFA Cup. The addition of these tournaments has added value to the term and provided a good basis for success ahead of the main season. Football By Jonathan Hooper, Head of Football

The senior sides had a much tougher block than in previous years with new league additions such as Abingdon and many of the opponents being two-term football schools. Despite this, the senior sides competed across the blocks and were able to hold their own, narrowly missing out on key results in tighter, more skilful games. There is no doubt that the standard of football is improving and the increased understanding and communication between players was noted as a key positive outcome of the season. The boys’ House football competition was a roaring success with the quality being of a significantly higher standard with much more technical play than last year. The teams were in good spirits with the usual House camaraderie. This year Kendall managed to pick up both the junior and senior trophies in a brilliant display of free flowing football.

The senior boys’ and girls’ first teams travelled to Italy over the Christmas break, attending the Inter Milan Academy where they received training form the Inter Milan coaches and got to observe the youth teams in competitive matches. The trip was a great success and helped bring the players together ahead of a season with more fixtures than the previous year. Boys’ Football The boys’ football programme has continued its expansion with several year groups now having C teams this year, allowing better match opportunities for all. This was reflected in the Junior results, with many of these teams producing strong performances against formidable oppositions with tighter scorelines. Dr Torri’s 15Bs and Mr O’Rourke’s 14As both had very successful seasons, highlighting the emerging talent and depth of quality that Teddies is building through its football programme.

Ferdie Lapidus