During the past holidays, a group of 20 footballers plus Mr Reddiex, Phil Collings (coach) and myself, headed off to Spain and England on the King’s High School Football Tour. 

The theme of the tour was to see and play as much football as possible and that we did. 

We visited many football stadiums including Santiago Bernabou (Real Madrid), Camp Nou (Barcelona), Anfield (Liverpool), Emirates (Arsenal), London Olympic Stadium (Westham), Old Trafford (Manchester United), Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) and Wembley! We got to see Barcelona play Real Sociedad, Westham play Everton and attended the FA Cup Semi Final between Arsenal and Manchester City. The atmosphere at these games were almost indescribable and out of this world.

We played five games, two in Spain and three in England. The competition was strong and the opposition very skilled. The boys played with good heart and learnt from each game finishing the tour with a two-all draw against LVS Ascot.

The boys were also lucky enough to train at St George’s Park, which is the training facility for the English National teams and the likes of Barcelona. It was also used in the Rugby World Cup for the Irish and the Wallabies' games. The place was incredible.

We also had training sessions with coaches from Tottenham Hotspurs and Westham United. There were so many “WOW” moments during the tour. Meeting Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp was an pretty special moment, especially for our biggest Liverpool fan, Mr Reddiex. Being at the FA Cup Semi final with over 85 000 other fans was momentous and singing “I’m forever blowing bubbles” with the Westham fans was something that will be etched in all our memories. There are so many stories to tell. We did manage to fit in a little sight seeing too with la Sagrada Familia being a favourite.

No matter where we were, the feedback from coaches, parents, tour operators, bus drivers and hoteliers was always glowing about our King’s boys. I know the boys would all like to thank everyone that supported them with their fundraising for this trip and a special thanks from the boys goes out to their parents for making this “trip of a lifetime” possible.