Teams of 6 pupils from each of our Trust schools recently enjoyed a football-related language learning enrichment activity with a company called Futbol Lingo at Barr Beacon School. 

Owner Pierce Kiembi is an inspirational football coach and linguist, who aims to inspire future linguists and open young people’s minds about the wealth of opportunities for people who speak other languages and also understand other cultures in the football industry. 

Pierce has a wealth of experience in the football industry as both a professional player and a coach and worked  with Year 8 pupils from across the trust. There was a motivational talk on the value of languages followed by a practical football session conducted in French/German!  

With the aim of gaining points for participation throughout the day, in competition with the 6 other schools in our Trust, our pupils showed excellent teamwork in preparing and delivering a presentation on why their Francophone or German speaking country should host a football tournament. 

Presenting to a group of French & German teachers, conversing in French as well as English did not daunt our pupils, who spoke confidently about their country's food, transport links, stadia and star players. 

Then out on the pitch, our football fanatics collaborated with their peers from other Matrix academies, demonstrating their football skills whilst collecting vital coaching tips from Pierce and improving their languages as they competed. 

Our overall winners for this year were Turves Green Boys School who have taken home the Matrix trophy for this year. Congratulations to all the pupils who took part in the event and to the Year 9 pupils who represent Smestow Academy.