Highworth Warneford School hosts young visitors from Costa Rica for friendly football match

By Ben Fitzgerald - 4 October 2019

EducationSport

Highworth Warneford School played host to a group of disadvantaged young visitors from the central American country of Costa Rica.

Dave Gibbons, assistant head of PE at the school, explained: “A small group of Costa Rican boys visited our school to take part in an indoor football tournament against a number of our Year 8 boys. It was a real success. 

They got on really well. There was obviously a language barrier but the football broke that down. They were able to mingle and have drinks and a cake together at the end of the games. The atmosphere was very lively; all the games were competitive but played in a good spirit. It was a four team tournament, the Costa Rican side won the group stage (two wins and a draw). However, they were eventually beaten 1-0 in the final but the Warneford keeper was our man of the match so you can tell the pattern of the game. 

“I think for our boys it was a fun and enjoyable experience. It was brilliant to bring boys from two very different cultures together through a common interest of football. They would've got satisfaction from providing an opportunity for boys who are less fortunate than themselves. And it would've led to interest and discussions at home where they could've found about Costa Rica and the circumstances these boys are brought up in.”

The boys, most of whom live in shanty towns, were given this opportunity by Christian charity Educacion Plus.

The organisation is a non-profit association that works to support young people in urban areas at high social risk.

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