A Fascinating Football Tour to Barcelona
The RGS Football Tour took place in the second week of Half term and involved 35 excited Footballers flying to Barcelona, capital of the Catalonia region. Oliver Shelton, Upper Sixth student and Captain of the 1st XI Football Team, writes about his Tour experience below.
“On arrival in Barcelona, we settled at our hotel after a busy day of travelling and had an early night to prepare for the following day.
On Tuesday, our first official day of the Tour, we travelled to the legendary Barcelona FC, Barcelona’s training ground where we experienced an intense 90-minute training session. The training consisted of typical Spanish ball possession drills followed by a game which demonstrated what it would be like to be a part of their Academy. After the tough training session, we were rewarded with a tour of the interactive FC Barcelona Museum and club shop, it was a fascinating insight into the history of Barcelona, seeing trophies, match-worn shirts and the incredible Lionel Messi area. Our next stop was the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, Barcelona’s temporary Stadium whilst the Nou Camp was being renovated. We also had the opportunity to take in sights such as the Montjuïc Castle. We finished the day with a trip to Castelldefels Beach where Volleyball and Foot-Tennis were enjoyed by all.
The 1st XI travelled to their game against CF Vilamojor and the 2nd XI and 3rd XI teams travelled to Sant Esteve on the second day. The 1st XI’s game was a close affair with RGS coming away with a 2-0 win against a very technically-able team. We defended well and eventually hit them on the counterattack, scoring two goals by Chikosi and Bunyan. The 2nd XI played against a very strong side who played immaculate Football. The 3rd XI comfortably won their match 2-0. After the games we then travelled to Barcelona City centre where we enjoyed a guided city tour visiting several landmarks, including castles and churches along the iconic La Rambla; we also visited the stunning Cathedral of Barcelona. Later in the day we had time to do some shopping before heading back to our hotel for dinner and another early night!
Thursday was another busy day and we enjoyed some time at the beach before we travelled to RCD Espanyol, where we had a training session focusing on ball possession, and quick shooting drills culminating in a match. On our way to the matches, we visited the magnificent La Sagrada Familia. Afterwards, the 1st XI travelled to Martorelles FC. In an intense game with both sides playing good Football, we tried to dominate the game however their defence was impenetrable and remained solid. The 2nd and 3rd XI travelled to UE Sant Fost and won 3-2 in another competitive game; however, the 3rd XI lost their game despite having an early lead.
On Friday, our final day, we travelled to the Barcelona Padel Tennis Centre before making our way to the airport. We played Padel, a sport very similar to a combination of Tennis and Squash and which is now the second most popular sport in Spain after Football!
Our Football Tour was a fascinating, enjoyable experience. We immersed ourselves in technical Football training and played against some exceptionally talented Football teams and players as well as experienced Spanish culture, food and scenery.
Thank you to our Teachers and Coaches for such a brilliant time; we are all now even more excited about the season ahead.”
Oliver Shelton, Captain of the 1st XI Football Team
