On Tuesdays after school a group of Brampton students go to the football pitches at the local University of Middlesex under the watchful eye of Mike Wheeldon, Head of Arts and Humanities. It’s time for a lively game in a good spirit, healthy exercise, making friends and de-stressing from our academic work.
The weekly football is a great opportunity for everyone to run around, learn new skills or show off existing ones, and interact with others in a friendly, unjudgmental atmosphere. We change up the teams every week to allow everyone to enjoy and have a fair experience. It’s great for promoting community and co-operation – people all play together and mix with others that they may not typically speak to, making it a positive opportunity to make new friends.
We have also held two Staff vs Student matches for our charity, Edukid, which supports students’ education in Uganda. We have raised over £200 for every match we have played and have another scheduled for the summer term. The charity matches are a fun opportunity to support and strengthen the Brampton community and the close, friendly relationships between students and staff as it brings us together in a worthwhile common cause.
One of our keenest players, Vaibhav, speaks for us all when he says,
Football gives me the opportunity to socialise and build relationships with my Brampton friends; it also helps to reduce stress from the pressures from school.”
We’d all say that football is a highlight of the week and greatly look forward to these sessions. Go, Team Mike FC!
by Maisie, student
