Seville trip boosts Chichester teenagers' sport studies - thanks to football and culture

Around 30 visited the Spanish city for two weeks’ work experience recently as part of the Erasmus programme, which is fully-funded by the European Union.

The students spent time at Third Sector International (3Si) and World Player Internacional (WPI) to learn about Spanish football and sport practice.

They trained with Spanish coaches, as well as enjoying the opportunity to learn about the Spanish culture, language and cuisine with organised tours around the historic city.

They also took on some of the local sides in four competitive matches. The women’s team were victorious in both their games, beating Honeyball and CD Hispalis 3-0 and 1-0 respectively, while the men’s team were unlucky to be defeated in their matches against Calavera FC.

A visit to the Estadio Benito Villamarin was also among the highlights, where the group watched Real Betis beat Real Sociedad 3-0 in a heated La Liga match.

Eleanor Hughes, who plays for the college’s female football academy, said: “The trip was fantastic, it really exceeded my expectations.

“One of my highlights was the Real Betis game. It was interesting to see just how different Spanish football – and the atmosphere – was to what we have here. It was a lot louder and even more passionate.”

Team-mate and captain Nicole Robinson added: “It was really cool. Seville is a very traditional Spanish city, which was great to experience.

“The whole trip was one of the greatest experiences. It really brought the teams together – all of us were one massive team by the end.

“We learnt how to be more independent and by being in a different country, we faced different situations. We learnt a lot.”

Chichester College has secured more than 700,000 Euro (roughly £587,000) funding from Erasmus – an EU programme which supports education, training, young people and sport across Europe.

The funding for the college will run over two years and will give 200 students at the college the chance to experience fully funded work placements like this in Spain.

Lisa Humphries, director of student services and pastoral support at the Chichester College Group, said: “This is a fantastic programme that gives young people access to some incredible experiences.

“They have the opportunity to live, work and study abroad for between two to four weeks, at no cost to them. For some of our students, it is a chance to do something they would never have been able to do without help.

“Although placements and some activities are organised for the students, they are encouraged to be independent while they are away so they can really experience what it is like to live in another city, another country.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for our students, and we’ve seen our first group really thrive since returning from Seville. Their confidence has soared and I’m sure it’s opened their eyes to the wider world around them.”