CIS Football Team

By Kian Chan | Photography by Stephen Chen | Layout by Natalie So

CIS offers a plethora of co-curricular activities. In regards to sports, some are organized into school teams that compete against other schools, whilst some are the amalgamation of individual athletes with a common sport linking everybody together. A school team is formed with multiple students and are led by coaches. School teams tend to have training once or twice every week (after school), in which they do drills and play games to better enhance their sports abilities. This article will introduce the CIS football school team, as well as talk about the different competitions they participate in, with the addition of including personal experiences from players who currently play for the CIS football team. The CIS football team compete in different interschool competitions to allow players to gain more experience and exposure to players of different levels from HKSSF, ISSFHK and ESF tournaments. In primary, football training sessions allow young players to expand their football skills just by kicking the ball and doing a few challenging drills. Towards the end of primary, some players are already competing in friendly matches. In secondary, football training sessions allow players to learn new tactical strategies for real matches as there will be more opportunities for players to attend more competitive tournaments.

Personal Experiences

As I was part of the school team in primary and secondary, I think that it’s a great team to be a part of because everyone is supportive and saying encouraging words to one another. Throughout the years, I have learned that winning isn’t the most important, but having a positive mindset is. This means that the school team doesn’t only cultivate your football skills, it even stresses upon the importance of attitude and perseverance. Football can be an enjoyable sport, but I believe the beauty of this sport is to understand and accept failure, and to weather through all weaknesses and losses.

“I really enjoy being a part of the team, because I am having fun, enjoying the sport, and most of all learning how to accept failure and how to correct them.”

- Kenneth Fu (Year 9)

“It is not about the overall game, it is about how you play the game.” - James Wang (Year 9)

Kenneth states that he enjoys playing football because he can appreciate the sport by playing with his friends during team training. Every player has their ups and downs, and he shows his willingness to explore his strengths and weaknesses by learning from his shortcomings.

James says that the “overall game” isn’t the most important, the way you think and how you play the game is. This means that football really is mind over matter. The result of a game doesn’t refect upon one’s skills, rather, it is determined by the type of attitude they possess.

I also interviewed members of the senior football team to gain more insight from some of the older players. I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Caleb Wong and Ric Tse from Year 12.

Q: How does it feel being part of the school team?

C: “It's really great to be a part of a team that is so supportive where we all work together to improve and be better. I really enjoy playing football with my friends and it is such a nice feeling to see such a tight-knit group.”

R: “It feels great to be part of the school team. When you go out to play against other schools, you feel a sense of pride when you have the chance to represent your own school. There is a real sense of community in CIS Football. Whether it be training sessions or matches, everyone is always giving their 100% on the pitch, and we really do strive towards bettering our football skills and teamwork. We are lucky enough to have coaches like Mr. Allan Fraser and Mr. Jamie Hooper. They are both experienced, hardworking and optimistic coaches that are constantly encouraging us to work harder in order to reach our fullest potentials. Our team certainly would not be where we are now without these important fgures in our community.” R: “I am fortunate enough to have been able to push myself up the ranks since Year 5, playing from D grade all the way up to A grade - which is where I am now. I have always enjoyed being part of a team sport as I am put in a position where I am not only playing for myself, but also playing for my teammates. Because of this, my passion for football has only grown. I am motivated to win games for our school, and I try to push myself and my team to improve as we go through the fnal years of our CIS Football lives before we go off into our future endeavours.”

Q: How often are you included in competitive matches?

R: “For school football, we are involved in two major tournaments: The HKSSF, consisting of 6 games given we qualify to the fnals; and the ISSFHK. I am included in all the games I am eligible for and I try my best to make sure I am available for every single game. Matches are held almost every single week when the tournament itself starts, so it is fundamental that all players keep ft.”

Q: Why did you want to join?

C: “I was originally into basketball until I started to play playground football and Brazallian soccer. This ultimately led me to school football and now I love it. Joining the CIS football team has allowed me to develop communicative skills, teamwork and overall improve myself as a person. Being part of the team helps me alleviate stress from the IB, as well as gives me an opportunity to bond with my friends and magnify our inter year community.”

Q: Do you enjoy training? What is the quality of facilitators?

C: “We have 2 training sessions a week and it’s great. We are fortunate enough to have a school feld to minimise our travel time. We also are so lucky to have supportive, approachable, committed and dedicated coaches that care about our progress and well being.”

From this interview with Ric and Caleb, it shows that they both feel relished to be a part of this team, not only because they are able to play this sport, but because of the experiences and lessons they learn. It is evidently clear that they have a strong passion for football and have always been a team player. The best part of this interview is when they mention their coaches - Mr. Fraser and Mr. Hooper, on how they always push and support them to better ameliorate their skills physically, and mentally. With CIS giving students the opportunity to join such a wide array of sports, it is undeniably clear that students should attempt at the sports that interests them. The football team is merely a prime example of the one in a million hobbies that one can delve into, and I think that at any age and at any time, learning a new sport will not only better ourselves, but also improve our lives with the skills that were attained during the process. 校話 期刊 21 125