A girls' team from Brighton College Abu Dhabi has won the World School Games Football Cup 2024 in the under-15s category. During the two-day tournament, which took place from October 11-13, the winning team played against schools from Spain, Tanzania, Portugal, Tunisia, Egypt and Uzbekistan, and were declared the overall winners.
In total, 33 schools representing 18 different countries participated in the tournament in Barcelona. Eva Hill, the team's 14-year-old captain, said they had to play nine games in two days and beat a team from Tanzania 5-3 in the final game.
"We were so excited for the cup, and we weren't fully expecting to win, but it was just a great opportunity and an unforgettable experience," Ms Hill, who is from the UK, told The National. "It was just a fantastic experience and I'm very proud of my team.
"We worked very hard together, and we had early-morning training and practised in matches against other UAE schools. I would wake up at 5.45am to be at school at 6.30am for football practice."
Competing on the global stage
Ms Hill said meeting and competing against teams from across the world was exciting.
“Before every game, the coach would give us an absolutely amazing pep talk, and then I would have the chance to speak as captain to give some final details to help the team and encourage them," she said. “We have very close bonds within the team and the support from the other teams from Brighton College Abu Dhabi also helped us."
Molly Forsythe, goalkeeper for the team and a pupil at the school, said: "It was a great experience playing against schools from different countries, and our hard work paid off. Lifting the trophy was unforgettable and it was an honour to represent Brighton College and the UAE."
A winning mentality
Teachers at the school put the success down to the group's dedication, skill and hard work. “I'm very proud, very elated and happy for the team," said Ruth Forsythe, vice-principal at Brighton College Abu Dhabi. "It truly reflects their dedication and skill, their determination, their sportsmanship.
"They worked really hard as a team. In their group there were eight teams and they got through to the final undefeated in the competition. They won every game and brought the cup home."
She said many of the pupils had been playing sport together for the last five to six years and had grown together. She also paid tribute to the team's coach, Emma Sims, and said pupils at the school typically arrived at 6.30am for training, and that there were around 50-60 pupils who attended sessions for multiple sports.
Richard Austin, director of sport at the school, said the opportunity to travel to Barcelona and compete at a global level offered the pupils "a different sort of level of competition, rather than just competing within the Middle East and against the schools in Abu Dhabi".
"They were superb throughout the weekend and they were undefeated in the tournament," he said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELECTION%20RESULTS
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