PASCH SCHOOLS FOOTBALL CAMP IN AUGSBURG, GERMANY – OWEN REPORTS BACK 

Owen Dickson, Year 11 student at Richmond School, has recently returned from a week’s football camp in Augsburg, Germany. This opportunity is available to students at Richmond because of the school’s status as one of only 12 PASCH* schools in the country, part of a global network of schools whose aim is to awaken interest and enthusiasm for German and Germany today. 

*The term PASCH means “Schools: Partners for the Future” 

We caught up with Owen to find out a bit more about his week. 

RS: So, Owen, how was it? 

O: Best week of my life. 

RS: Really! That’s quite a statement. Can you explain why? 

O: The people I met. Me and a friend I met there from Liverpool are already planning a trip to Norway in the summer to meet up with two Norwegian students who were at the camp. So many other brilliant people too. The people who ran the trip were fantastic – they completely broadened my outlook about language, culture, football, travel. The pro football coaches from FC Augsburg were amazing – I’ve never experienced precise, intense one-to-one coaching like that before – my football has definitely improved! 

RS: Interesting that you mention the people you met and the effect they had on you first and the football last – even though it was a football trip! Exactly how Ethan, a student who went on the trip last year, described his experience. 

O: It really was about the people and the different places they came from – it’s also made me want to travel a lot more.  I feel that the people I met there have reflected on me – changed me, even. The Scandinavians, for example: they’re so calm and well-mannered and pro-active about things. It’s been quite interesting coming back to school here and seeing how different things are here sometimes. 

RS: It certainly sounds as though the week has had quite a significant impact on you! Ok, moving on, what about some of the practical details – how did the travel arrangements work and where did you stay when you got out to Augsburg? 

O: We flew from Manchester to Munich. I met three others there – Stephen, Max, Jubilee. It could have been a bit awkward because we’d never spoken before – only a few messages. But it was just so easy – we got on really well straight away – Stephen’s the one I’m travelling to Norway with in the summer. We then took the bus from Munich to Augsburg – about an hour. 

RS: And you stayed in a hostel, I guess, something pretty basic? 

O: A four-star hotel, actually! It was very nice – it had a sauna we could use, and a gym. There were 26 of us on the trip with four adult supervisors. They were brilliant. They weren’t strict, but you knew there were boundaries. No one overstepped them, though. They were really kind and, because we were a bit older, they let us loose a bit – gave us some responsibility. 

RS: I suppose it was based on mutual respect and an understanding of the boundaries. Ok, what about the days – how were they structured? Some language work, then some football? 

O: Basically, yes. For three of the days we did an hour and a half of German, then lunch at the sports complex, then an hour and a half of football. We were supposed to train outdoors, but the pitch was frozen so we trained inside – about five minutes’ walk from the hotel. On those evenings we went into Augsburg on a tour, looking at some of the sights and landmarks of the town, including FC Augsburg’s stadium. On the Thursday we went to the Allianz Arena in Munich – Bayern Munich’s stadium – that was absolutely amazing! 

RS: Tell us a bit more about the football… 

O: The coaches were brilliant – full time professionals. We had one-to-one sessions with carefully designed, detailed drills focusing on improving our skills. When I played football before, I tended to let the adrenaline get the better of me and get a bit carried away. In Germany, if that happened, my coach Daniel use to shout: “CALM!”, kick the ball away from me and get me to do 30 press ups – I did lots of press-ups! Now I have a phrase: “Intense and perfect.” I tell myself to be calm and analytical when I play – it’s made a big difference. 

RS: And what about the language sessions? There were people there from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and England. What language did you all speak?  

O: That was a big eye-opener for me. Everyone except people from the north of England was basically fluent in at least one other language. So, because of that everyone spoke English! I felt bad about it, actually. I guess there’s a much bigger emphasis on speaking other languages elsewhere in Europe. It’s made me want to speak German much more than before. It felt like everyone else there was really smart – not just because of their languages, but the resources and opportunities they have at school and the different attitude they have to learning.  

RS: What about the language sessions themselves? Not just basic German, I guess? 

O: No, definitely not. There was quite a lot of complex football terminology. Not just positions, but more complex stuff like footballing culture. Quite a bit on the multicultural nature of German football, plus some sports science – body types and things. 

RS: It was obviously all very structured and organised. What about down time – was there a good social space? 

O: There was loads of social time, especially later at night. We could use the gym and the sauna and everyone just talked all the time – that’s when we really got to know each other – we didn’t get much sleep! It was up to us when we went to bed, but there was an absolute expectation that you would be up and ready in the mornings. If not, they would just leave you behind at the hotel. No one ever got left behind! 

RS: You’ve obviously had a brilliant week, for all sorts of different reasons. Just to finish off, how would you summarise the main things you’ve gained from your experience? 

O: Football. My level and my ability have definitely improved. I’m travelling to Spain at Easter for a tournament with my team at Catterick Village. The German trip has made me much better prepared and confident – we’re playing some quite high-level teams in Spain. 

I also think I’ve changed my attitude a bit and picked up some positive mannerisms from the people I met at the camp. I feel more respectful towards other people, and I definitely have a different attitude towards my future. I know what I want to do. I want to travel. I want to learn other languages. I want to study. That’s something I wouldn’t have said before! 

RS: It’s been great hearing about what has obviously been an important week in your life, Owen. Thanks for being so honest and thoughtful about your answers. All the best for the future – especially those GCSEs!