The long wait was finally over! After two years of being unable to travel to Italy due to COVID, teams from ISN were finally able to compete in the Med Cup football tournaments again in Verona.
The first event was for High School, and 33 of our students represented an under 18 boys team, an under 18 girls team and an under 16 team boys for the weekend. The girls’ team made huge progress in a very short period of time and learned to work hard together. Their positive attitude was really impressive, and they probably deserved more than their 3rd place finish in the champions group.
The boys’ grade 11 and 12 team were very unlucky to narrowly miss out on the elite group and they played some really good football throughout the weekend. Despite picking up a few knocks, they finished 3rd in the elite silver group which was commendable given the quality of other teams.
The grade 9 and 10 boys team excelled themselves and won the u16 boys tournament - a first for ISN! They developed as a team as the tournament went on and some colossal individual performances were matched with a strength in squad unity.
Mr Macnab says: "We all learned a lot both on and off the pitch last weekend and it was an extremely valuable experience. Thanks go to Mr Duncan and Feli for giving up their free time to come and coach and support our students. Well done to all our students who participated and represented ISN as best they could."
One month later, 24 Middle School students boarded the train to Verona to represent a boy’s team and a girl’s team. The tournament was once again an emotional rollercoaster, with the girls playing so well (despite very little training and some having never played football before!), but alas, they missed out on a trophy in the Champions group. However, as Ms Wallace says: “I couldn’t be more proud of the 11 girls who represented ISN Nice. They showed true sportsmanship, determination, and they worked well together as a group. I think that next year a trophy is surely within our sights as they’ve all got a taste for the competition and want to come back and do even better!”
The boy’s team had a lot to celebrate as they finished second in the Champions Gold final. It was a nail-biting finish that went to penalties, and with our normal goalkeeper out with an injury, someone had to take his place. A huge well done to Marc from Grade 7, who stepped up at the last minute, and even saved one goal! Sadly, it was not enough to stop Caviglia from taking the top spot. The boys, just like the girls, showed great team spirit and support for one another, and we know they’ll be back even stronger next year.
And the action doesn't stop there! We have now started the selection sessions for the basketball and volleyball Med Cup tournament at the start of June in Venice. Watch this space!
