The boys’ football team from Highworth Warneford School recently embarked on an unforgettable trip to FC Bayern Munich, one of the most successful football clubs in the world.
The trip, which took place from Wednesday, October 18th to Tuesday, October 24th, saw the 50 boys and six staff members stay in the Olympic Park region of Munich and participate in four training sessions with Bayern coaches.
Three of the sessions took place at Säbener Straße, the first team training ground. On the first day, the boys even trained on a pitch alongside the first team including Harry Kane, who was preparing for their game the following day. The other training session took place at the Bayern Munich Campus, the home of the club’s academy.
In addition to the training sessions, the boys also had the opportunity to watch two professional fixtures: Bayern Munich’s second team against Eintracht Bamberg (Bayern won 6-3) and as the Bayern first team were playing away, the boys travelled to Austria to see a top-class professional fixture at the Red Bull Arena, RB Salzburg against LASK (LASK won 1-0).
The boys also played three fixtures against German sides, all held at the first-team training ground. The U13s won 6-3 against Interkulturale, the U14s won 7-1 against Interkulturale, and the U16s lost 4-0 to the Bayern Munich Global Academy. Despite the loss, the U16s’ performance was particularly impressive, as their opponents were a year older and consisted of boys who had been scouted from all over the world.
The boys also had the opportunity to tour the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich’s home ground, and visit the museum, which is full of the many trophies Bayern have won over the years.
The trip to FC Bayern Munich was an unforgettable experience for the Warneford School boys’ football team. The boys had the opportunity to train with some of the best coaches in the world, watch professional fixtures, and play against top-quality German opposition. The trip also helped to develop the boys’ teamwork and communication skills, and it created memories that will last a lifetime.
David Gibbons, Deputy Head of PE at Highworth Warneford School said: “As teachers, we were overwhelmed by the breadth of experiences our students were offered, and by the quality of those experiences. From a full guided tour of one of the most famous stadiums in the world to training sessions on top quality pitches from elite coaches, to matches played at world-renowned facilities against esteemed opposition, to mention but a few, each and every facet of this tour oozed class. For instance, we were particularly touched by the fact that the Bayern coaches were so invested in our students that they stayed beyond the end of their sessions to support the players’ efforts during their fixtures – something which sums up how welcome and valued everyone made us feel. We are forever indebted to Inspiresport for giving our students a week that they’ll appreciate more and more as the years go by. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The trip was organised by the sports development company inspiresport, who take young people on a unique journey, igniting their dreams through the power of sport. Designed to develop skills and confidence in youngsters no matter what their ability, inspiresport’s tailored football development tours to the UK and Europe offer professional coaching at some of Europe’s elite professional clubs and federations. Including access to world-class training facilities, stadium tours and fixtures against local opposition – since 2004 inspiresport tours have provided young players with a truly unique experience.
Steve Butchart, Managing Director, inspiresport said: “We are delighted to welcome FC Bayern Munich to our exclusive portfolio of partner clubs and look forward to sending groups to Germany, with our first being Highworth Warneford School. Having seen the facilities our groups will use during their time in Munich, I am certain that this trip will quickly become a ‘must visit’ destination for schools and groups wanting to experience the full pro-club environment, and to receive coaching from World Cup winners is a unique element we’re excited to include.”
