The world game takes Warrawong High students to Spain for once-in-a-lifetime sporting experience

Students from Warrawong High School will travel to Spain next year for a unique international excursion at the invitation of one of the world’s most well-known football clubs.

The school has partnered with the Real Madrid Foundation to offer a program to students in which they learn important life skills through football.

“The program itself is a values-based program,” PDHPE head teacher Aaron Davis said. “So we’re trying to improve the values the kids have through sport, through soccer in particular, and their football development is secondary to that.”

For the past two and a half years they have developed the program, running training sessions with Western Sydney Wanderers, working with Football South Coast and South Coast Taipans futsal and hosting gala days, tournaments and camps, alongside Wellington High School.

“Football doesn’t have to be their number one priority; it is for some, it’s not for others,” Mr Davis said. “We take anyone, and anyone can learn from the program as long as they’re willing to be active, get involved and get on board with the ideas that we have.”

For Year Nine student Mohammed Al-Aesawi, the program has helped him grow as a person and an athlete and could even help open a few doors as he climbs the representative ladder.

“Back in Year Seven when I first joined the program I wasn’t really as developed,” Mohammed said. “The skills that I’ve learned from this program – resilience and all the other factors you need to be good at – contribute to my future and to my skills and I can put that into my game.

“We train with Wanderers and honestly for me as a footballer it brings so many opportunities,” he added. “Especially when you’re going out on trials, talking to coaches, I can say I’ve trained with this and that; it’s a real boost.”

Year Seven student Elkie Peacock had the program on her radar from the get-go.

“As soon as I heard about it, I knew I was going to join it because I’ve always loved football and then as soon as I heard about Spain I got so excited and I was just looking forward to it and hoping that I’d get to go and now I do,” she said.

With the program focusing on the values of team spirit, autonomy, equality, motivation, health, respect and self-esteem, the outcomes are about more than just skills in game scenarios.

The benefits of this were something Year 11 student Lexi Taylor experienced firsthand.

“I gained sportsmanship the most,” she said. “I used to be a really sore loser, and a sore winner, still probably am a little but I’ve gotten better at playing the game less rough and just being nicer overall.”

Now the success of the program has led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It’s not a given just because we run the program that we get to go to Spain; it’s an invitation,” Mr Davis said.

“We’ll do some training sessions at the Real Madrid City where the Real Madrid team play and we’ve got our fingers crossed that we might meet some players there too.

“And we’ve got some other activities like rock climbing and dragon boat racing as well and it sort of culminates with a match day. We’ve got a stadium tour and a match day on the last game of the Spanish season, Real Madrid versus Real Sociedad, so we’re really looking forward to that.”

Twenty students were selected out of the 42 in the program based on criteria such as school attendance, effort levels and values demonstrated throughout the program.

“I was number 21, so I was just out of it, and then someone dropped out and ended up not being able to go so when I found out me and my friends were all cheering and were all so excited,” Lexi said.

The foundation is covering a lot of the costs, but the school still has a mammoth fundraising effort ahead, with around $75,000 needed to cover flights, insurance and small costs on the trip.

“We’re really pushing limits to make sure that everyone can get there and no one misses out,” Mr Davis said.

“It’s a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; we’re never going to get this experience again.

“Even if you went over by yourself, you wouldn’t get the backstage passes. We just really want to make sure that we get all 20 students over there.”

The school has set up a School Bytes page for anyone who wants to donate with more fundraising efforts set to take place next year.