ETHAN ATTENDS PASCH SCHOOLS FOOTBALL CAMP HOSTED BY FC ST. PAULI, HAMBURG

Richmond School and Sixth Form College is one of around 600 PASCH schools worldwide. These schools are supported by the Goethe-Institut with the aim of promoting knowledge of the German language and fostering international cultural cooperation.

Every year students from PASCH schools can apply for a number of brilliant opportunities, including a week long football camp in Hamburg, hosted by the legendary FC St. Pauli.

A number of Richmond School and Sixth Form College students have attended the camp over the years, the most recent being Ethan McCutcheon, Year 12 student. We caught up with him to find out a bit more.

RS: How did you find out about the camp, Ethan, and why did you apply?

E: There was some information and a link included in an email that Miss Dutton and Ms Richardson sent out at the beginning of the year, pointing out some of the opportunities available to students. It was quite easy. I filled in some information online – I had to write a statement saying why I wanted to go – then heard back quite soon that I had a place. I applied because I’m a footballer and thought it would be a good opportunity to improve my skills and play and train in a different environment. I’m also half German and bilingual.

RS: Ah – OK. That’s interesting, because part of the reason for students to go on the trip is to practise and improve their German. I guess you didn’t really need to do that?!

E: Well, you might think so, but a lot of the language was quite technical and football specific, so even though I can speak German, I definitely learned a lot from the language perspective. Just a bit differently from people who weren’t fluent in German. It worked out really well, actually.

RS: Ok, excellent. You’re obviously a footballer – tell us a little about your football.

E: I started young and played for Catterick, Richmond, some Sunday League games when I used to live in Sheffield. Now I play for Catterick. It’s a hobby. I enjoy it.

RS: And what about St Pauli? Did you know anything about them before you went out to Hamburg?

E: A bit. I support Bayern Munich and I used to live not too far away from Hamburg. We learned a lot more about them when we were out there, though, especially the cultural side of things. They’re a very liberal club and heavily involved in local politics – I found that aspect really interesting.

RS: So, tell us a bit about the trip. How did you travel out there?

E: I flew out from Manchester, but met someone else who was on the trip at the airport – Tom. Miss Dutton gave me his email address beforehand so we’d had a chance to get to know each other a bit so it wasn’t completely awkward. We got on well for the whole trip, actually, and we’re still in contact now. That was one of the best things about the trip – you got to meet so many like-minded people – it was really easy to make good friends.

It was really diverse, too. People from the UK, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Finland. We spoke German quite a bit of the time, as well as English. The Scandinavian languages were quite similar so they communicated OK. It was great being in that environment with so many different languages being spoken.

RS: What was the accommodation like?

E: It was a bit like a Youth Hostel, but quite smart. There were three or four people to a room, but we were always out doing things so we didn’t spend much time there. There was also a social space and a classroom, just for the people on the trip, as well as an outside space with a table tennis table and a volleyball court – lots to do!

RS: How did the days work? What was the structure?

E: There were supervisors who looked after us and made sure we were in the right place at the right time, as well as ensuring we weren’t causing mayhem! It wasn’t strict though – they socialised and played football with us – it was a really good atmosphere. We did have some time for ourselves as well. We were allowed to go into the town and sometimes supplemented the hostel food with a trip to the local Lidl!

We got up at around 7 with breakfast at 8, then one group would do the learning activities while the other group did football. We’d then swap around. The learning focused on football specific language as well as issues in German football like racism and homophobia. It was quite complex, even though I can speak German.

The football training happened at a big sports complex near the hostel. It had an astro and a grass pitch. The trainers came from St Pauli and put us through loads of really structured drills. It felt really professional and my football definitely improved. You could really see their different footballing philosophy – it’s very technical and skills based, not just hoofing it up the pitch, like UK football has got a bit of a reputation for. The cultural differences in the way the different nationalities played football were really interesting to experience.

Afterwards we’d do an activity as a group – there were 26 of us. For example, one day we went into the St Pauli region of Hamburg. It’s an old port area and it’s still got a reputation for being a bit of an ‘outlaw’ region. We were expecting to have a cultural tour with castles and things, but this was a bit different! We got to see some of the more ‘interesting’ cultural sides of the area. It was fascinating, actually – totally different to something you might get in the UK. We did go into the city later on in the week to see some of the more traditional sights, like the Rathaus – the city hall.

RS: And what about the people – you mentioned you all got on well, but it must have been interesting experiencing the culture of Hamburg with such a diverse group?

E: That was one of my favourite aspects. People are so different. The Norwegians are very reserved, for example. They don’t really acknowledge people they know in the street. It would be weird if they did. And the political differences between the countries were interesting too – in Sweden all school meals and transport are free and students get an allowance to pay for their school equipment.

RS: It’s really interesting to hear you talk so much about the cultural differences so much, even though the focus of the trip was football. What was the main thing you got from the trip?

E: It was definitely the people and the different cultures. I met so many great people – we’re all still on a group chat, even this long after the trip. It was also excellent to get a feeling of political awareness and really see the value of travelling away from your hometown and your comfort zone.

RS: What about the future – what are your plans?

E: I’ve been looking at Law courses with a year abroad, maybe in Munich for example – being bilingual makes it a bit easier. I’ve got to get my A Levels yet, though!

RS: True! Any last words?

E: Yes – big thanks to Miss Dutton for pointing me in the right direction and setting the trip up. Thanks to the PASCH people for making it possible and thanks to all the people running and organising the trip in Hamburg – it was definitely one of the best weeks I’ve had.

RS: Thanks for giving us such an excellent insight into the PASCH football trip, Ethan. I’m sure that your experience will inspire other students to apply. All the best with Year 13 and those A Levels!