European victory for home nation team

England has swept to European football victory this month as a Manchester school wins top place in a five-a-side tournament.

St Peter's RC High School in Gorton beat off stiff competition from hundreds of other schools across both the UK and Europe to win the European final of the PlayStation® Schools' Cup and scoop £5,500 worth of new sports kit.

The journey to victory began back in April, when nine pupils from the school were crowned UK Champions at the PlayStation Schools' Cup national five-a-side football tournament. Their prize was the opportunity to take part in an exchange trip with Tres Cantos School from Madrid, the team that won the Spanish version of the tournament, with both schools going head to head to determine a European Champion.

There were a number of football-themed challenges across the two legs of the trip, including a series of skill tests and matches. Each school accumulated points from the challenges, with the team recording the most points at the end of the second leg being crowned European Champions.

St Peter's multicultural team is made up of two African players, one Portuguese, one German, one Caribbean, one Irish and three British boys.

The first leg of the exchange trip saw St Peter's School host their Spanish counterparts in London with a visit to Downing Street, an exclusive behind the scenes trip around the Chelsea Football Club Stadium and the chance to play the UK leg of the competition at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

The two days trip to Madrid included a visit to Real Madrid's stadium and a coaching session hosted by Real Madrid coaches at their training ground.

St Peter's beat local rivals Failsworth High School in the UK finals in an emphatic 5 -1 victory and then claimed the European prize with a 10 - 4 triumph against the Spanish team Tres Cantos.

Headteacher John McNerney says: "We are delighted for the boys. This was a truly once in a lifetime experience for them all, not just on a sporting front, but also on a cultural level. They were a credit to the school and we are extremely proud of them."

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

"Their success in this tournament 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."

John Scales, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool defender is a driving force behind this project. Scales says: "This is a remarkable achievement for St Peter's school. This is a fantastic initiative from PlayStation to bring together school teams from two countries for an unforgettable cultural experience. The tournament was not all about winning matches. The series of football themed challenges were designed to help develop the players' skills. Hopefully the teachers and coaches can adopt these training methods for future practise sessions at school."

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, Press Office,  tel 0161 234 4016.