Written by: Jayna Wu
Edited by: Chen Kexin and Lydia Ong
Photos by: EusoffWorks
The referee blows his whistle and the game starts: 2 teams of 11 players stand on the field under the sweltering sun. With quick feet and impeccable coordination, each team has only one goal in their minds - to kick the ball into the opponent’s goal as many times as possible within 90 minutes. Football is loved by many, popular both as a sport to play and to watch. There is no doubting why it is the most popular sport in the planet - the simplicity of the game makes it easy to pick up and play regardless of who or where you are; yet, it challenges you to play as a team to work towards achieving that feeling of satisfaction when you see the ball enter the goal.
When asked about football, Eusoff Football Captain Ethan Koh says that the competitive fun he can have with his friends is undeniably the best thing about his sport. Starting his football journey in Secondary 1, Ethan’s passion for football has grown through the years and driven him to step up as captain. Playing as Eusoff’s goalkeeper, his fire for the sport is evident as he reminisces about the one time he was so excited to play football with his friends on the field that he started running towards the field, doing high knees while running across the track. One wrong move and his ankle gave way, forcing our football captain to crawl helplessly to the field. He ended up sitting and watching at the side, and this marked the last time his fervour for football was a hindrance for him.
Now, Ethan’s hope for the Eusoff Football team is to be able to put up a fight during IHG, and to have fun and make friends along the road to clinching that gold medal. Trainings are never dull with the football team, with “a lot of touching of each others’ balls” and the occasional panna (where the ball is kicked between your opponents’ legs). After trainings, they refresh themselves with cold water and 100+, which are Ethan’s top picks for his post-training drinks. (Football TM take notes.) When asked what he wanted to say to his team, Ethan’s words are few yet impactful: “Y’all are good….”
Avina Ganesh, the girls’ football captain, started playing football a little later than Ethan, beginning her football journey in J1 just after A-division competitions to satisfy her desire to try a new sport. As her captaincy has proven, this does not make her any less of a beast. Like Ethan, she is a goalkeeper, and hates when she concedes a goal. The chemistry between her and her teammates when they make good passes to one another down the field gives her an addictive feeling of satisfaction that is incomparable. Though she’s serious on the field, she can’t shake the memory of her foot injury just last year - one she names the funniest/most embarrassing moment she has had in football. She tripped over herself and fell during a mini match, causing much pain in her foot and eliciting much laughter from her teammates.
Leading the Eusoff’s girls’ football team to IHG, Avina not only hopes to clinch the gold, but aims to create a team of bonded and dedicated players, with their hearts all in the game. The girls’ team is a formidable force, with training usually consisting of footwork and passing drills, playing 2v2 and working on gameplays, and even a match if time permits. After training, Avina loves a sip of ice milo, or even playmade courtesy of her super nice TM. (OTHER TMS PLEASE TAKE NOTE.) To close, Avina has a few words of wisdom for her team: “I hope you all really have fun and improve on your journey here!! Most importantly I hope you look forward to training and playing with all you have on the pitch, most important thing is to not be afraid and just believe in yourself.”
With both teams in such good hands, football is undeniably one of the sports to watch this upcoming IHG!
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