On the penultimate weekend of the summer holidays, thirty-nine boys and five members of staff embarked on an unforgettable four-day pre-season football tour to Lisbon, Portugal. The tour gave the boys a fantastic opportunity to develop their football skills, experience professional football environments, and create lasting memories ahead of the new season.
The adventure began bright and early on Thursday morning, with a 4:15 am meet at Rokeby. After loading the coach with suitcases, equipment and essentials, the group travelled to Heathrow Airport before boarding our flight to Portugal. Upon arrival in Lisbon, we checked into our impressive hotel and quickly got straight into the football action with a visit to Footlabs, where the boys enjoyed a range of immersive football games, challenges and performance-testing activities. This got rather competitive, with even the teachers keen to test themselves against the boys. Unfortunately, this didn’t turn out to be too complimentary for Mr Rhoden. After a long day of travelling and football, a visit to the buffet (a particular highlight of the day for some) and an early night were welcomed by all.
Friday provided a real insight into the professional football world and a full day of football activity ensued. Following breakfast, we travelled to SL Benfica’s renowned training complex where the boys took part in coaching sessions led by SL Benfica coaches. The facilities were truly outstanding and offered a glimpse into life at one of Europe’s most prestigious football clubs. We were also fortunate enough to enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at both the Benfica Men’s Under-21 and Women’s First Team training sessions on our very own private tour of the complex.
The football theme continued with a visit to the iconic Estádio da Luz (Benfica’s home stadium). A full stadium tour let the boys explore Benfica’s home, while the club museum showcased the rich history of one of Portugal’s most successful clubs. They paid particular attention to Benfica’s impressive trophy cabinet before visiting the club shop to pick up souvenirs/memorabilia.
The afternoon saw the first matches of the tour against Bless Academy. The Portuguese side proved strong opponents, but the Rokeby teams showed great determination, resilience, and a willingness to learn throughout their matches. The fixture of the day belonged to the 1st Team, who fought back to secure an exciting 2-2 draw thanks to a dramatic last-minute equaliser from Oli M.
Saturday offered a different perspective of Lisbon as the group enjoyed a panoramic city tour, taking in many of the capital’s famous landmarks. No visit to Lisbon would be complete without sampling the city’s most famous delicacy, the pastel de nata (a personal favourite of Miss Thompson), and the boys thoroughly enjoyed their stop at the world-famous Pastéis de Belém bakery.
After lunch, attention turned back to football with fixtures against Academia Acoitao. Across four highly competitive matches, the teams demonstrated clear signs of progress and improvement as they began to find their rhythm. The moment of the day, and perhaps the entire tour, came during the U11B fixture when Sebastian V B produced a magnificent penalty save before celebrating so enthusiastically that he essentially embarked on a lap of honour around the pitch, momentarily forgetting that the match was still in progress. Thankfully, his teammates managed to continue without him whilst he lapped up applause from the crowd.
By the end of another action-packed day in glorious Portuguese sunshine, there were many tired legs and sleepy faces as the boys enjoyed dinner before heading off for a well-earned night’s rest.
Sunday provided a chance to relax and recover. The group spent the day at the beach enjoying professional surf lessons alongside a range of beach activities.
The U11 boys were first into the water and impressed everyone with how quickly they adapted to the waves, setting a high standard for the older boys to follow. While waiting their turn, the senior boys enjoyed beach football, cricket and touch rugby while topping up their tans.
When the groups swapped over, the senior boys demonstrated their own surfing talents before the entire tour gathered for a fantastic beachfront feast. Burgers, chips, kebabs and ice cream were all on the menu, providing some questionable nutritional preparation for the forthcoming football season but plenty of smiles nonetheless!
Following a final walk along the beachfront, the group returned to the hotel to freshen up, collect luggage and make the journey to the airport. After a successful trip home, we eventually arrived back at Rokeby at 12.40 am. Thankfully, Bank Holiday Monday gave everyone a chance to recover and get some well-needed sleep after an incredible few days away.
The tour was an outstanding success both on and off the pitch. The boys represented Rokeby with excellent behaviour, enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout, while showing significant progress in their football.
Thanks go out to all the staff who gave up their time to make the tour possible and, most importantly, to the players themselves for embracing every opportunity and representing the school so superbly.
We now look forward with great excitement to the season ahead!
Mr McClaren – Head of Football