FOR many in the travelling squad, Victoria College’s trip to the United Arab Emirates, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for their footballing best.
As for the school’s director of sport & head of football, Sam Habin believes offering the students “experiences they wouldn’t otherwise get at home” is invaluable.
In prior years, Victoria College’s first XI has travelled to first-class training facilities at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, as well as Valencia and Inter Milan.
With a desire to go further afield, Habin and Victoria College are currently in the United Arab Emirates, testing their skills against a number of high-quality outfits, which culminates in a fixture with Manchester City’s Dubai Academy side on Friday.
“It’s been really full on, but the lads are loving it,” said Habin.
“We try to go away every year and expose them to different places and experiences.
“My remit has always been about trying to give them a footballing experience that they wouldn’t otherwise get through their club sides or being in the Jersey team.
“There were a few options on the table, one of which being in Munich with FC Bayern, but the team chose the UAE.
“A lot of them hadn’t been before and, culturally, it is a great experience, as well as playing football in a very different environment.
“Trips like this together really help with important life skills, as well as bonding as team in an unfamiliar place.
“We had the chance to go to Milan previously and we trained with the Inter coaches and used their training facility.
“There were European Champions training alongside us, while the Women’s side and U19s were on separate pitches.
“For our lads to have those experiences, coming from a small island is fantastic.”
Victoria College have already enjoyed a comprehensive victory over JDF Academy on Monday evening and at the time of print, were due to take on an Sports Recruiting USA team last night, the same service Jersey Bulls record goalscorer Lorne Bickley used to help move to the United States.
The marksman would proceed to take the NCAA Division 2 by storm, concluding his senior year at Wilmington University in Delaware with a record-breaking season.
Habin mentioned that he had asked Bickley for some insight on the side.
“He’s given us a little bit of information on what to expect,” added the school’s head of football.
“We anticipate it to be a great challenge for us and that’s exactly what we and the players want.
“Their team is comprised of the best players from five schools in the area, so it’s a great level for our boys to test themselves at.”
The Islanders are then set to face Kent College Dubai (today) before Dubai Irish on Thursday, finishing up with the blockbuster test against Manchester City on Friday.
In the words of captain Conor O’Keeffe and vice-captain Callum Gilroy
Each year we have the opportunity to come away to different countries and to play new opposition. This year, exceeding all expectations, we began our journey to Dubai. The first XI football tour is the pinnacle for the students who play the sport. We set off, and with a bit of uncertainty due to the storm, Fortunately, made it to Dubai.
On the first day it was about getting used to the heat and training in the challenging conditions.
We were welcomed into some fantastic footballing facilities and proceeded to play on some great grass pitches.
However, as the trip has progressed we have adapted to the weather and this was shown in our first game which resulted in a convincing victory.
We have plenty more opportunities to come on the trip such as playing against Manchester City’s Dubai academy which will be a good experience for all of us coming from such a small island.
As well as the football we have been given the chance to explore some of Dubai’s renowned places, such as the Burj Khalifa, Atlantis Water park and Dubai Mall.
Partaking in these activities, not only educates us on the pitch within football but also off the pitch through experiencing different cultures and environments.
Within the last few days the group has bonded with each other and this has created a high team morale, this will hopefully lead to creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Victoria College travelling squad: Conor O’Keeffe (c), Callum Gilroy (vc), Riley Brennan, Barney Aston, Jacob Clynes, Ben Heelis, Aiden Le Saint, Will Yates, Monty Cudlipp, Sunny Reid, Eddie Rothwell, Theo Pullman, Harrison Leggett, Patrick Filleul, Sol Bennett, Merrion Carter
