English Schools' Football Association

Our travel partners, Inspiresport run exclusive tours to some of the world’s top professional football clubs – in the story below we catch up with England U18 assistant team manager, Rich Alderson following his school tour to Portugal!

Party Leader Richy Alderson has run a number of football focused development tours with inspiresport, most recently one to Ajax in 2013. When he started the booking process for his 2016 tour, FC Porto was highly recommended by his regional representative, Jed McCabe.

This was our fourth trip with inspiresport and the best one! The set up at the club is great, they have excellent coaches, the facilities at the academy are first class and everything is organised for the players to enjoy themselves in a disciplined and safe environment.

The school is a sports college, and as football is the main sport played, the trip was designed to reward the players who work hard over the academic year and show commitment in attending their school football clubs for training and fixtures. As a few parents were concerned about their children’s medical conditions whilst travelling, we arranged two parents evenings which were informative and gave them the opportunity to ask the necessary questions and put their minds at ease about the trip, right from the start of the booking process.

A real plus for Richy was the planned coaching sessions which took place at Vitalis Park. Pre-tour, we ask our party leaders to fill in a team questionnaire, based around their player’s ability levels and age. This allows the DragonForce coaches to plan the sessions, catering to the player’s skill level, and on this occasion they certainly did not disappoint.

One of only two clubs to currently offer it, Dragon force clinics allow players to train in their own exclusively designed training kit, adding an edge for the players giving them a real sense of being part of the club, encouraging them to work that little bit harder to prove they are deserving of wearing the kit and representing their team in a professional environment.

While the sport is the reason our tours take place, a trip abroad isn’t just about the sport development. Richy goes onto explain, “Some [players] really grew up and took responsibility for themselves living in a foreign country away from their parents. They all enjoyed spending time with their friends…the programme was full and organised for the players to enjoy themselves.

Previous tours for Northfield took them to the likes of Holland, and so this time it was also about experiencing a different culture. Included in their trip was a city tour, and the schedule allowed them to attend a live fixture – Porto FC V Sporting CP. One of the players highlights was the stadium tour and museum, which the they felt was, “excellent!”. They were very lucky to also be in Porto as the national team arrived back to Portugal following their win at the 2016 Euro’s.

While we cant promise every tour is in the winning country of the Euros as the professional players return to their home country (!), we endeavour to give every tour just as much fun, learning and new cultural experiences, every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaGGhnyRyrU

See below for a Q&A with Richy following the tour!

1. What did the trip involve?

‘We took our Secondary school teams, comprising of 12-15 year olds with mixed ability but mainly school football team ability or those attended the school football club(s).

The tour was five days and four nights including football coaching by Porto Dragonforce Academy coaches, tickets to a Portuguese league game (Porto V Sporting Lisbon) a Museum and stadium tour and a tour of the city.’

2. Why did you choose the trip?

‘Porto was highly recommended by Inspiresport. Football is the main sport at the school and we wanted to reward the pupils who attend school football clubs and play for the school football teams. We had done three very successful trips in the past, Ajax in 2013 was the most recent, and we wanted to try a different country.’

3. How did Porto Football Club ensure the activities were suitable for all abilities?

‘The Porto organisation and management was excellent. I filled in a questionnaire before we left based on the pupils age and ability. The coaches planned the sessions based on this information. Throughout the 5 days of coaching, all the coaching was to an excellent standard and the coaches were first class.’

4. What do you feel were some of the main highlights of the trip?

1. Coaching was first class

2. The competitive games against Porto development teams.

3. Porto v Sporting Lisbon game

4. Stadium tour and Museum

5. How did the students respond to the trip?

‘All pupils loved every minute. They responded to the coaching and really enjoyed the sessions and the games. They also really enjoyed the hotel facilities and the itinerary allowed free time. The stadium and museum tour was also a highlight for them. The feedback from all the pupils was excellent. They really enjoyed the full programme, enjoying every minute and experiencing a trip of a lifetime.’

6. What are some of the best student developmental outcomes you have seen as a result of the trip?

‘Pupils really enjoyed the coaching and I think all learnt something new and showed progression throughout the 5 days. They all improved their technical ability and tactical understanding. Some really grew up and took responsibility for themselves living in a foreign country away from their parents. They all enjoyed spending time with friends and doing things they all enjoyed. The programme was full and did not allow pupils to get bored or misbehave. The pupils were excellent throughout, as they were very well behaved showing good manners and respect for the public. Hotel guests and even airplane pilot all made positive comments about our pupils.’

7. Did you have any concerned parents you had to deal with before the trip? How did you deal with this?

‘A few parents were concerned about their son’s medical conditions and shared concerns about a few issues but I met with the parents and reassured them that we would do everything to make their son happy. We also had two parents nights which informed them of all the information required eg itinerary.’

8. Do you organise many trips abroad?

‘One every couple of years, only football trips. All four have been excellent so far, but Porto was by far the best!’

9. What do you feel are the benefits of going abroad for a trip?

‘The pupils are coached in a different environment. They have excellent coaches, facilities at the academies are first class, and everything is organised for the pupils to enjoy themselves in a disciplined and safe environment for the pupils to learn.

The pupils experience living and playing football in a different country which can be very good for life skills and experiencing something different away from home and family.’

10. What would you say to teachers who were considering a trip with inspiresport?

‘Go for it!! They are excellent at organising a trip of a lifetime for these pupils who love football. They will do everything to a very high standard and the pupils get value for money. Staff and pupils really enjoyed all 4 trips with Inspiresport, but the Porto people especially our rep made the trip special for all our pupils and that’s why it was the best one, so far!’

For more information on Inspiresport and the tours they can offer visit: www.inspiresport.com