Young Sotogrande footballers bring success home from Italy

Teams from Sotogrande International School had a successful trip last weekend to the Mediterranean Cup for U14 Football, held in Verona, Italy.

The U14 Boys came away with the Champions Gold Cup and the U14 Girls A finished third in their Champions Gold Cup.

Meanwhile the U14 Girls B team won the Champions Europa Silver League Cup.

Some 36 players and five members of staff attended the event.

In their competition the Sotogrande boys finished as winners of the U14 Champions Gold category, with a record of six wins, four draws, and just one loss across three days of competition. The team narrowly missed out on the Elite category (top eight) by just one point after finishing second on day one.

On day two they won both opening games to secure qualification for the Champions Gold semi-finals. The team went on to win the semi-final against Geneva Nations and then beat Ambrit Rome in the final to take the trophy.

The U14 girls squad finished third in their Champions Gold Cup, competing against teams often two or even three years older. The school explained that the girls "demonstrated remarkable courage and maturity on the pitch, proving that teamwork, effort and belief can overcome any challenge".

Finally the girls' B team were crowned Champions of the Europa Silver League after an unforgettable tournament."Their success reflects not only their footballing quality, but also the incredible spirit they showed from beginning to end," said their school.

The teams' tour jackets were provided by Sotheby's.