Spanish trip for Gorton pupils

Nine pupils from St Peter's RC High School in Gorton will soon be enjoying an all expenses paid foreign exchange trip to Spain thanks to their outstanding football skills.

The pupils were crowned UK Champions at the recent PlayStation® School's Cup, a national 5-A-Side football tournament held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

And they are now preparing for a four days trip to Madrid on June 13th to meet up with their foreign counterparts that won the Spanish version of the tournament.

One of the highlights of the tour will include a visit to Real Madrid's stadium and a coaching session hosted by Real Madrid coaches at their training ground. To complement organised cultural experiences, PlayStation will be staging football themed challenges between both schools, including a series of skill tests and football matches.

Each school will be rewarded points for each challenge, with the team recording the most points at the end of the final leg being crowned European champions of the PlayStation Schools' Cup.

St Peter's faced stiff competition from eight other schools across the country in the UK final, beating local rivals Failsworth High School in an emphatic 5 -1 victory.

St Peter's captain and midfielder, Darren Stephenson,15, also scooped the prestigious Player of the Tournament award.

He says: "At first I was worried because it was a tight game. Everyone kept playing well together and we got a couple of goals then we pulled away and won comfortably. Arsenal defender Kolo Toure presented our trophy which was great and when I got player of the tournament it felt brilliant because I knew we were national champions and I also got a Sony PSP for it."

As well as the Madrid trip, the St Peter's players will be hosting their Spanish counterparts in London on June 8th and 9th for the first leg of the European final at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

Headteacher John McNerney adds: "They are a fine group of youngsters and I am very pleased for them. It is quite an achievement to win through so convincingly from an entry of more than 200 schools and I know the boys are now looking forward to the next two matches in London and Madrid. My thanks go to the boys' parents and their teachers for their support and encouragement."

Councillor Sheila Newman, Executive Member Children's Services, Manchester City Council says: "This is a wonderful opportunity for the St Peter's pupils as not only does it allow them to play football against the very best, but it also gives them the chance to experience another culture and enjoy the sights and sounds of Madrid.

"Their success in the competition highlights the fact that education works best when it is a well rounded offering, catering not just for children's academic needs, but also their other interests such as sport. Sport has a very powerful role to play in teaching many valuable lessons including teamwork, sportsmanship and grace in defeat."

Now in its sixth year, the PlayStation Schools' Cup is one of the biggest and most popular football tournaments for the Under-15 age category.

St Peter's RC High School is the first school to take part in the foreign exchange trip, as this is a new addition to the tournament.

Media contact:

Maggie Doyle, tel: 0161 234 4610.