High Grange School entered two teams into the tournament. Littleover Dazzlers brought a team and there were two teams from Brereton Raptors. It was a 6 a side tournament with 7-minute games.

High Grange School were represented by a mixture of key stage 3 pupils with one pupil from key stage 2. We had two additional players drafted in from one of our staff’s children’s Saturday team and one sibling participate in the tournament. Nine pupils stayed behind after school to play in the tournament. We had our very own qualified referee who was one of our own sports leaders.

There was a mixture of tension and excitement ahead of the tournament. High Grange School pupils were eager for the tournament to begin however, due to external teams having to travel after their school day the tournament did not get underway until 5pm. This meant Gavin had organised a swimming session prior to kick off to enable the pupils to cool down on what was the hottest day of the year.

The rules for the tournament were as follows:

• 7-minute games – 1 half
• Subs roll on / roll off.
• We will play overhead height / no throw ins unless ball goes over fence.
• No corners
• No defenders or attackers allowed to be in goalkeeper areas.
• Attackers must shoot from outside goalkeeper areas.
• Referee decision is final.

The fixtures

Match	Fixture
1	High Grange 1 v High Grange 2
2	High Grange 1 v Littleover Dazzlers
3	High Grange 2 v Littleover Dazzlers
4	High Grange 1 v Brereton Raptors 1
5	High Grange 2 v Brereton Raptors 1
6	High Grange 1 v Brereton Raptors 2
7	High Grange 2 v Brereton Raptors 2
8	Littleover Dazzlers v Brereton Raptors 1
9	Littleover Dazzlers v Brereton Raptors 2
10	Brereton Raptors 1 v Brereton Raptors 2

The tournament was played in a league format. Teams gained 3 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and one point for a loss.

Brereton Raptors Blues gained - 12 points.

Brereton Raptors Reds gained - 9 points.

Littleover Dazzlers gained - 8 points.

High Grange School 1 gained – 6 points.

High Grange School 1 gained – 5 points.

Congratulations to Brereton Raptors blues who won the tournament overall. They were unbeaten and played very well. Littleover Dazzlers were extremely competitive and have had a very successful season winning their respective league last season. HGS competed very well. Our pupils gained vital experience in playing competitive football against Saturday and Sunday teams. Our pupils were exceptional throughout the whole event and represented the school magnificently. All teams and players stayed behind to have pizza and ice lollies. The whole evening was a great success. As a staff team we are proud of every single pupil who stayed behind and represented the school.

Thank-you.

I would like to thank staff who volunteered their time after school. The tournament did not finish until 7.30pm. The staff then stayed behind to then tidy away all the equipment away. The event could not take place without the staff volunteers. I would also like to thank Paul Sparkes and the players and parents from Brereton Raptors for travelling 40 minutes to the school to participate in this tournament. I would like to thank Darren and Reena and Littleover Dazzlers players and parents for supporting the tournament.

I genuinely hope the High Grange School pupils enjoyed the experience. I thank High Grange School parents for supporting the event and allowing your child to participate in this tournament after school.

Feedback

Paul Sparkes commented about how well organised the event was. He stated that High Grange School staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. The High Grange School pupils were a credit to the school and played some excellent football. He was very complimentary of the school environment and facilities.

Darren and Reena from The Littleover Dazzlers were very happy to be invited to the tournament. The players who participated said, ‘they all enjoyed playing and will definitely look forward to next year's invite!’ Reena and Darren thanked the school their hospitality. ‘The whole event was run smoothly and was a joy to be part of.’

Well, we look forward to holding similar events in the future as this was a resounding success!

Gavin Spicer,

Principal