By Hermione Silver, Year 9
The recent LGB Champions League taking place in the school has seen many teams of students battling it out for the top spot. One of these is Ecolint’s very own Juventus, named after the famous Italian football club. The defining factor that sets them apart from others is that it is the only team comprised solely of girls. To learn more about how this team came to be, and how they felt about this tournament so far, the Express set out to interview Perla Lepage and Shania de Courten, two of Juventus’ players in Year 12.
The team was formed by Year 12s over lunch when Lara Suleiman mentioned her idea of partaking in the upcoming Champions League. Her suggestion was met with a keen interest by her friends and the team was named Juventus. In our interview, Perla stated “the point was not to win, just to have fun” and together as a team they wanted to bring some feminine energy to the pitch. Nobody in the team of eight had much footballing background at all before the tournament which put them in a tough situation and their first match was shaky with an unfortunate loss. This wasn’t the end though, and over time, the six players and subs learned to play to each other’s strengths and the team saw rapid improvement in the four games they played. In their final games they still lost but by a lot less than they had ever anticipated. They even told me that they never expected to play four matches but were pleasantly surprised when they stayed in.
Although they unfortunately got knocked out of the tournament, both Shania and Perla agreed that the tournament was really fun and the laid-back organization meant for a more enjoyable overall experience, though they weren’t exactly sure organizing an outdoor tournament in the middle of winter was a great choice. The players additionally commented on how some teams would adapt their playing styles when up against them which was friendly and showed a sportsmanship side to their teams. Their losses, however, meant that Juventus was knocked out and the tournament carried on without them.
Luckily this might not be the end of Juventus, and assuming the tournament takes place again next year, Shania and Perla both showed an interest in possibly remaking a girls’ team if the IB doesn’t get in the way too much. So, if this team does come back in a year, it’s certainly one to look out for.
