St John’s Senior School’s U14 football team from Enfield returned from Florida as champions. They defeated MLS club Orlando City FC Academy 3-0 in the final. The victory capped an unbeaten week at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
A school side in a club competition
The boys gave up their half term to represent the school. They flew out on 21 May to a competition that week. On arrival, they were told it was the toughest of all the age groups running at the complex that week. St John’s was the sole school side granted entry. They lined up against academies from the United States, Mexico and Ecuador in a club competition.
Three group games, three eight-goal wins
They made their intentions clear immediately. The opening match against GGS Soccer Academy was halted just before half time. This occurred under the tournament’s mercy rule, which stops a game once a side leads by eight goals. The score finished 8-0. Two more group matches followed, against RW Soccer Academy and United Futbol Academy, and both ended the same way. Between fixtures there was still time for the squad to visit SeaWorld and, we are reliably informed, the sharks.
The semi-final and the final
The semi-final saw Leones FC of Ecuador and a 9-1 victory. It sent St John’s through to a final against the hosts. Orlando City are a professional MLS club with a full academy structure, and few outside the squad expected a school team to trouble them. St John’s won 3-0.
Thanks to the staff who made it possible
Enormous credit goes to manager Mr Heracleous, who took a school team into an international club tournament and came home with the title, and to assistant coach Andrew Forth, whose contribution throughout the week has been widely praised. Mrs Aylott spent the week in Florida supporting the squad, and our thanks go to her for looking after the boys so well while they were away from home.
More than the scoreline
Across five matches the team scored 36 goals and conceded one. The results tell only part of the story, though. What stood out to everyone watching, including the many families following the final live on ESPN+ back home, was the way the boys carried themselves. They played as one team, representing their school with real pride against opposition drawn from professional academies on another continent.
Sport has always been a central part of life at our independent school in Enfield, but a world title is something new. This is a remarkable achievement for the players, for the coaching staff and for everyone connected with St John’s. Congratulations to our newly crowned champions, and to a senior school in North London that has just made a little history.
