WASCZ｜From Pitch to Podium

On March 24th our Senior Boys’ Football team were invited to the FISSCA Football Tournament in Xiamen.

Leaving on Friday our high-quality team certainly made a big splash despite the pouring rain in Xiamen. In the run up to the competition, our team dedicated an immense amount of time with weekdays and weekend trainings. They were well prepared for what was going to be a challenging competition.

It was new territory for our WASCZ Football team with this being the first time they have played rival schools in southeast China.?A total of six international schools attended the tournament, all of whom have well-established football teams.

On Saturday morning, the day of the competition our students shared their nerves, but this is all a part of the emotions of what they knew was going to be an enjoyable but challenging day. Waking up at 6.00am they started the day off with breakfast, team talk and then bus journey; it was time to get their minds focused on the games ahead.

The first match took place with a tough start and hard-fought battle. Unfortunately, we did not get the win, but it was indeed a close match. 2:1 final score to Manila Xiamen International School. Our second match we took a step up, leading for the majority of the game. However, in the finals minutes we drew the match 1:1 with Xiamen Yingcai School.

The remainder of the day we proved to be unstoppable and our boys put in remarkable performances. They went into the remaining three games with a determined mindset and confidence in one another to deliver great plays, teamwork and resilience. This yielded impressive results:

At the end of an exhilarating day was prizegiving. The team waited in anticipation of where they would be placed. Eventually after not being called up for third or second place, the boys were very excited. Then it was announced “in first place we have WAS Changzhou!”. They cheered with excitement, shared in celebration with one another before heading to the podium to receive the Tournament Trophy!

Our WASCZ coaches have shared a special message below:

We would like to praise our students who represented WASCZ in a remarkable way on the football field through their sportsmanship, determination and comradery. The quality of the opposition teams was excellent with many talented players. This did not worry our team but instead they used it as motivation to play stronger and harder.

A special mention to our Captain I. Zhang who was competing in his last match for WASCZ. I want to congratulate him on leading this magnificent team. We will miss him but wish him well on his future endeavours.

Our team also nominated their Player of the Tournament: D. Song.?Well done! We look forward to seeing your progress in football during your time at WASCZ!

WASCZ U19 Boys Football Captain, I. Zhang, responded with the following message:

Football is a big part of my life; I can enjoy it not only through watching matches but also by playing this sport.?The happiness of sports is not because of the trophy but it’s the communication, support and teamwork that makes it enjoyable.

While playing these matches, the heavy rain did not dampen our enthusiasm, focusing on football was the only aim.?Training is essential for success; it helped us understand the importance of teammates in this sport as well as technical and tactical play.?

This competition might be the last important sporting event that I enjoy at WASCZ; I really appreciate everyone in this school who helped me become a better person.

WASCZ U19 Boys Goalkeeper T. Gan shared his insight about the tournament:?

We travelled to Xiamen for an exciting football tournament. The weather unfortunately was not on our side however we played really well. At the beginning, our team needed to adapt to playing on a wet field. We lost the first game but didn’t let this put us down. We then started to communicate better and use smarter strategies against the opposing teams. We created some fantastic goals and saved some tricky shots also.?

My position is the goalkeeper which gives me the benefits of seeing everything play out on the field. I saw my teammates running into free space, achieving fantastic passes, and fascinating free kicks. I am very happy of how our team played!?We won the Tournament and it was a moment we will not forget representing WASCZ. For me, what was most important was our team spirit; I watched us became closer friends during this experience. A big thank you for our coaches who trained and supported us so well. WASCZ Boys’ team is so strong!?