I was delighted to receive the email below from Eleanor Carrington who currently coaches the Girls' Football Team in Witheridge.
We always love hearing about successes from outside school, and it is lovely to be able to share this praise. Well done to the girls team and to Jack and Ayla.
Miss Ratcliffe
Head of School
Subject: Some well-deserved praise for your Witheridge pupils 💙⚽
Hi Miss Ratcliffe.
I just wanted to send a quick email following our Witheridge Warriors Girls U10s friendly against Hatherleigh this weekend. I think credit should be given where it’s due, and I wanted the school to know just how brilliantly some of your pupils represented themselves and Witheridge outside of school.
Ayla is part of our U12 group, so initially wasn’t able to play in the U10s fixture. Despite this, she arrived in full kit and ready to support the younger girls. She came onto the pitch to help me lead their warm-up and prepare them for the match, and throughout the first half she stayed alongside me, encouraging the girls, offering helpful pointers and really boosting morale when they needed it.
What particularly impressed me was that Ayla had taken it upon herself to observe the match closely, making notes on positive passages of play as well as areas we could work on. She demonstrated fantastic leadership throughout, but did so with real compassion and positivity towards the younger players. After speaking with the Hatherleigh coach, we were able to let her join the game during the second half. She got stuck straight in and played some fantastic football while being very aware that she was older than the other players and adjusting her play appropriately. I was incredibly impressed with the maturity she showed.
Jack Eaton also came along to support his sister and the team and ended up being an incredible asset on the sideline. He helped with the warm-up, offered the girls tips and encouragement throughout the game and was particularly supportive of our goalkeepers. He was positive, respectful and genuinely invested in helping the girls succeed. He demonstrated some brilliant natural leadership skills and was an absolute pleasure to have there.
Our U10 girls themselves were absolutely tremendous. They showed determination, grit and perseverance when the match became tough, while remaining positive, respectful, and supportive of their teammates and the opposition. They represented Witheridge brilliantly.
There were so many moments to be proud of, but a few particular highlights were Ivy scoring our first goal of the season, Libby making a tremendous save in goal, and Lily showing wonderful compassion towards an opposition player when they were injured. It was a morning of skill and achievement, but also teamwork, resilience and kindness.
It was a fantastic match, and every single one of them did Witheridge proud.
I simply wanted to make sure the school heard about it too. You have some fantastic young leaders and sportspeople amongst your pupils, and it was lovely to see those qualities shining outside of the school environment as well.
Kind regards,
Eleanor Carrington
Girls' Lead Coach - Witheridge Warriors YFC 💙⚽
