They've only gone and done it again! Our #TeamOcklynge girl's football team have, once again, qualified to take part in the Premier League Primary Stars tournament next May, where they will represent our local premier club Brighton & Hove Albion FC. What a special achievement for our girls, who gave it their all at the recent qualifiers which saw them compete against the best of the best from schools across the county. You may recall our girl's team last year (lots of whom have now left us to venture on to secondary school) qualified for the first time and to reach this milestone again is nothing short of amazing! We are so proud of the team and cannot wait to see them progress this season and, of course, in May's finals. Here's an extract from match reports written by Lexie (Year 4) and Orla (Year 6):- 'We recently travelled to the Elite performance Centre in Lancing, where we qualified to play in the PLPS finals which will be held in May. It was an early start to catch the coach, but we were all so excited and I was awake way before my alarm went off! We played some great football as a team and scored lots of goals that put us top of the group and into the final. I am so proud to be part of such a talented girl's team at Ocklynge. I am really looking forward to the finals, it's going to be brilliant!' Lexie And... 'We played three other teams in the group and, to start with, we were a little nervous, but as soon as Poppy scored our first goal our confidence grew. I was then able to push one more past the keeper to win 2-0. In the second game we showed great strength against a tough team. The final score was 1-1. The final group game was nerve-wracking but, luckily, the team showed enough heart and energy to go on and win 1-0. Then, in the semi's we had strong possession throughout and Lexie managed to win us a free kick just outside their box. I then took a power shot and scored, resulting in a 1-0 defeat. Finally, we were determined to put in the best effort we could as a team in the hope to qualify. We were the dominant team throughout and successfully scored two goals to win the Albion Cup! We have managed this achievement two years in a row and I can't believe it! Watch out! #TeamOcklynge girls strike again! Watch this space....' #CoachClay (Mr Clay, Year 6 teacher and PE lead at Ocklynge) said:- "I am so proud of this year's team and their group performance at this year's qualifiers, where they played some incredible football. To make it through to the Premier League Primary Stars final again this year is unbelievable, and I can't wait to see what this year's team bring throughout the season and then at the event itself later in May. Well done to them all." Well done indeed! Go girls! WATCH THIS SPACE for more football news from across school very soon and with details of how we intend to fundraise for this year's #PLPStars final in the new term. #AchieveBelieveSucceed! #SouthDownsLearningTrust #SDLT #AchievingSuccessTogether #TeamOcklynge #StudentShoutOuts #FootballNews #PremierLeaguePrimaryStars2024 #BHAFC #RepresentingOurLocalPremierLeagueClub #2ndYearRunning! #PROUD #WellDone #WatchThisSpace!
