When was the last time a Fyling Hall student had the honour of representing their school in a team sports fixture? Can you believe it has been 562 days? Since March 9th 2020 our sports lessons have continued with as much normality as we could achieve under varying circumstances. While the benefits of these lessons are still pertinent, to the bodies and minds of growing children they seemed hollow and meaningless. The children struggled to find motivation to work on fitness. They weren’t possessed by the desire to be faster, stronger and more skilful. It was just better than sitting in a classroom on a nice day.

I am delighted to announce that as of yesterday, the 562 fixture hiatus is over. Our under 13 girls played their first ever hockey fixture for the school . . . and they were magnificent. Their 3-0 victory aside, the way they conducted themselves on the pitch, their enthusiasm, their teamwork, their desire to compete and to be successful is not replicable in any situation we can create in a games lesson. And after 562 of trying to replicate it, boy can I tell you it was nice to see.

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Our captain and player of the match, Haeun, embodied all the qualities highlighted above, and she rose to the occasion, working tirelessly across the pitch. I can’t write this without mentioning our hat trick hero Tallulah, who was at the glory end of some well worked team goals. To see all 12 girls excited about sport and being a part of a team and representing their school was the real highlight and something we as a Games Department have truly missed. Don’t worry though…there’s plenty more where that came from.

Justin Mayne, Games Teacher