MGB Schools Football Tournaments
November 2009
Maccabi GB's tournament programme, in partnership with UJIA, kicked off this week with two football tournaments taking place at the Power League site in Mill Hill. Over the course of the week Maccabi GB engaged over two hundred young Jewish players aged between eight and eighteen years old.
On Monday 9th November Maccabi GB hosted the first of three secondary school football tournaments. This week's tournament was for Years 10 & 11 and sixth form. Three schools attended the tournament bringing nine teams; just under one hundred players in total. The tournament was split into three age groups with the three schools competing against each other within each age group.
In the Year 10 tournament JFS started strongly in the group but Immanuel College were always in close contention. The final group standings were to be decided in the last two games with JFS and Immanuel College due to play each other. JFS won the decisive match and subsequently won the group, with Immanuel College close behind in second place and Hasmonean in third place.
The Year 11 tournament provided some really close matches with excellent football played throughout.
The group standings were constantly changing with each surprising result. As the last few matches were being played all three teams still had a chance to win the group with Immanuel College needing to beat Hasmonean by four clear goals. Immanuel did win the match but not by the score line needed and as such finished in second place behind JFS by virtue of goal difference. Hasmonean finished third in the group.
All three teams stated The Sixth Form tournament well, but Immanuel College's challenge fell short after the first few games, leaving JFS and Hasmonean to fight for first place. The penultimate match saw both sides face each other to determine which team would win the tournament. The match started slowly but JFS soon upped their game and took the initiative in the match. As Hasmonean pushed for an equalising goal JFS counter attacked. The final whistle sounded to confirm JFS as match winners and tournament winners.
The afternoon finished with a sporting medals presentation to the winning teams.
A couple of days later it was the turn of the Primary Schools to compete in their first Maccabi GB tournament of the year. The Years 3 & 4 football tournament provides the chance for the young players to show their skills in a competitive, yet supportive environment. For many of the players it is also their first chance to represent their school in a sports tournament. Six schools attended the tournament, bringing along twelve different teams, 120 young people in total.
The teams were split into four groups for the initial part of the tournament with the top two teams from each group progressing into the quarter final stages. The group games provided some great entertainment for the many parents and teachers who had come along to support their young players. Skills were applauded, tackles were cheered and goals were celebrated and as the final whistle blew for the final group games all the players huddled back inside to find out which teams had made it into the next round.
The first quarter final saw Menorah Foundation A; attending their first Maccabi GB football tournament, take on MMK A. The game was very close with few scoring opportunities but it was Menorah Foundation that managed to create the best chance of the game and score the decisive goal that put them into the semi final. The next game saw Independent B take on Sinai B. This was probably the most entertaining match of the whole tournament with a large crowd of boys from Independent School noisily cheering on their side to victory, winning two goals to one against a good Sinai side. The third quarter final saw Sinai A take on Wolfson Hillel A. Both sides kept the ball moving and looked to create chances, but the two goalkeepers were determined to stop anything getting past them. Eventually a goal did arrive and it was Sinai who scored it, ensuring their place in the semi finals. The last quarter final was between Menorah B and MMK B. Menorah always looked too strong for their opposition and ran out comfortable winners to complete the semi final teams.
The first semi final saw Menorah Foundation A take on Independent B. Menorah Foundation took an early lead in the match but Independent came back strongly. It looked for much of the game that Independent might get an equalising goal, but when a goal did come it was a second for Menorah Foundation. The second goal settled the game and booked a first appearance in the final for Menorah A. The second semi final was between Sinai A and Menorah Foundation B. The Menorah Foundation teams were very much hoping for a family affair in the final but Sinai had other ideas, taking an early two goal lead leaving Menorah Foundation with a mountain to climb. Sinai continued to look the stronger of the two sides as the game progressed and ended up winning four goals to nil.
The final produced an excellent array of football skills and had everything but a goal. Both teams pushed to find a winner but all they found was a goal keeper at each end in fine form. Neither keeper conceded during the match, which meant a penalty shootout was needed to decide a winner. Having been in outstanding form throughout the game one of the keepers was always going to be a hero and it was the Sinai keeper who made the first telling contribution, standing strong to save the first Menorah Foundation penalty. Sinai kept their nerve to score the next penalty and another save from the Sinai number one gave them a two nil lead. But the Menorah Foundation Keeper had been superb all afternoon and he pulled out his first penalty save to give his side a chance. With Menorah Foundation scoring their next penalty Sinai's lead was down to just one goal and the pressure was on the next taker to finish the job. He did just that, slotting the penalty into the bottom corner to win the match and the tournament for a jubilant Sinai side.
The afternoon finished off with the medals presentation to both finalists and the happy Sinai A team received their trophy which was paraded around the pitch.
Maccabi GB's Sports Coordinator, Matt Travers was pleased with this week's events, "It is great to see the young players get their chance to shine in the primary tournaments and then on Monday we saw the natural progression to the older years in secondary school, still engaged in Maccabi GB tournaments at seventeen and eighteen years old. It is was also particularly pleasing to see so many players that had been involved with JCC Maccabi Games in recent years and the Maccabiah Games last summer".
The next Maccabi GB school sports tournaments take place on Monday 16th November with the secondary schools girls football and then again on Wednesday 18th November when the primary Years 5 & 6 tournament.